The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Abacha loot

  • Abacha loot: Labour backs Buhari on cash transfer to ‘poor people’

    Labour has expressed support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to pay the  recovered $322 million Abacha loot as cash transfer to poor homes through Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT).

    National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) General Secretary,  Comrade Issa Aremu frowned at the call by the National Assembly on the executive arm of government to pay the repatriated money into the Consolidated Revenue Account and be distributed to the federating units in line with the revenue sharing formula.

    Aremu said the recovered loot from Switzerland was negotiated to be used for World Bank-assisted Social Investment Programme (SIP) through cash transfer to the poor.

    He observed that it was wise that the Federal Government gave the poorest the cash as a matter of right rather than what he called undignified handouts by some corrupt politicians.

    He urged the National Assembly to partner the executive arm through the Federal Character Commission to ensure that the cash transfer was not limited to the poor households in 19 states alone, but must be spread to  the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in line with the Federal Character principle.

    He urged the Federal Government to channel more energy into wealth generation rather than refuting controversial reports of the Brookings Report on the poverty level in Nigeria.

    Aremu said poverty level denial must give way to sustainable policies to eradicate wants and deprivations in the midst of abundance for few privileged rich.

    He said the Federal Government must initiate a holistic programme of wealth generation and wealth distribution instead of poverty reduction.

    He said: “The poor know that the key to eradicating poverty is wealth creation. What Nigeria needs is wealth creation, which calls for a halt to existing de-industrialisation. We need sustainable job-led growth not the existing jobless growth. Industry must be revived to generate enough goods and services. When supply exceeds demand, price must fall. When people work, they must earn wages enhancing their purchasing power for produced goods and services. The poor don’t need charity. What they need is value addiction based incomes.”

  • Fed Govt spending Abacha loot to win poll for Fayemi, says Olusola

    People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Kolapo Olusola, has alleged that the Federal Government has set aside part of the $321 million loot of the late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha for tomorrow’s governorship election in Ekiti State.

    He claimed that about $50 million of the recovered loot was ferried from Abuja in a chartered flight through Akure Airport and conveyed to Ekiti State in two bullion vans to be spent in support of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    The Director, Media and Publicity of Kolapo Olusola Campaign Organisation, Lere Olayinka, also alleged in a statement yesterday that “preliminary findings” indicated that N2.5 billion cash was transferred by the Kebbi State Government to an account in UBA, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.

    He said: “We called you here to intimate the public through your various media organisations of the movement of huge cash by the federal government to Ekiti State for the Saturday election.

    “Last week Saturday, two bullion vehicles were moved to the Akure Airport to evacuate cash brought from Abuja by a chartered flight.

    “The flight landed when it was raining and all staff of the airport were barred from going near the aircraft while the cash was evacuated into the two bullion vehicles.

    “After offloading the huge cash, the bullion van first moved to the Ondo State Government House in Akure from where they left for Isan Ekiti, the hometown of the APC governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.”

    On the alleged cash from Kebbi State, he said: “It was withdrawn immediately and moved with a private jet to Akure.

    “Also, apart from the N2.5 billion, another $50m (about N18bn) was taking from the $321m recovered from the late Abacha family.

    “Our question is, how can a government that claimed to be fighting corruption released billions of naira from the public coffers for the governorship election of a single State? Where is their fight against corruption?”

    Olusola called on Nigerians to note this wanton looting of public fund by the APC government to fund election of its members.

    “We must tell Fayemi and his APC that the conscience of the people of Ekiti cannot be purchased and we call on the people of Ekiti to resist the planned use of stolen fund to buy their votes of Saturday,” he added.

    Olusola also called the attention of the public to alleged intimidation and harassment of PDP members by men of the Department of State Services and policemen.

    “Already, Akin Fakorede, an officer of the Federal SARS has been posted to Ekiti State, ostensibly to play the same ignoble role that he played during the Rivers State election.

    “Let me say it clearly that no amount of intimidation will scare our people away from the polling units where they will vote for the PDP on Saturday.

    “We have the people behind us and they are more than ready to give our candidate their votes on Saturday.”

  • TUC to FG: Tie Abacha loot to specific projects

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria ( TUC ) has asked the Federal Government to jettison the idea of sharing the $350 million recently returned to the country as part of the Abacha loot to Nigerians and instead tie the money to specific projects that would improve the lives of the people.

    In a statement signed by its National President and General Secretary, Bobboi Kaigama and Comrade Musa-Lawal Ozigi respectively, the TUC said the idea of sharing the money was unacceptable as it was a grand ploy to re-loot the recovered money.

    The statement reads: “the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) is not in support of the recent plan by Federal Government to share the $350 million (which is equivalent to N115 billion) recovered Abacha loot among estimated 300,000 households, with each getting around $14 (around N5, 000).

    “For us, this is unacceptable and can be termed another avenue to re-loot the loot. The recovered loot has to be tied to projects. We are people deficient in everything that makes life comfortable and worth living.

    “We lack the basic things of life; infrastructure – ranging from roads, modern rail system, hospitals and power to mention a few. Our education has collapsed. The technical schools have gone into extinction likewise science and technology.

    Read Also: Senate moves to unbundle police

    “Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, is among the five richest persons in the world now with $71 billion. What does he sell? Nothing. How many manufacturing companies does he have? None. Infotech is one aspect that the youths have interest in, yet there is no encouragement.

    “The argument that the Federal Government had been drawing money from other sources to fund the Social Investment Programme of the government, an APC initiative and promise made during 2015 electioneering campaigns is not tenable.

    “Those sources equally belong to our common  patrimony. It is on record that monies have been recovered since this administration came on board. And we cannot really say this is what government has been done with it. On this particular one we say no to sharing. Government must tie the money to projects.

    “This remains the only way it would have a significant impact on poverty alleviation and overall development of the country.  We have a population of about 200 million and government wants to share $350 million.

    “Our posers: What is the formula for sharing? By geographical zones?, Through state governors or by Individual families? Can someone explain something we don’t know? This government must learn to hear.

    “Our population and landmass should be an advantage. Unfortunately there hadn’t been creative thinking on the part of the leadership. We expect the authorities to do the right thing and stop creating wrong impressions. Repatriated funds should be transparently and accountably spent.”

  • Abacha loot: How cash transfer programme ‘ll work, by Osinbajo

    VICE President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday said the cash transfer programme involving the recovered $322 million Abacha loot will be stringently monitored to ensure transparency.

    He said monitors would visit the individual households that have been identified through “deliberate targeting”.

    The Vice President spoke in Abuja, when he launched the Monitoring of Recovered Assets through Transparency and Accountability (MANTRA) Project.

    The MANTRA project is set to be implemented by the civil society group, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ).

    It was at a roundtable organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) to mark the First African Day of Anti-Corruption.

    The roundtable had the theme: “Enhancing Domestic Resources for Sustainable Development Goals by Improved Asset Recovery and Asset Return”.

    The Switzerland Government, based on a memorandum of understanding with Swiss banks and the World Bank, returned $322million to Nigeria.

    A Swiss court order that led to the repatriation of Abacha loot was made on the condition that the World Bank would supervise the money’s utilisation to prevent mismanagement and re-looting.

    Special Adviser to the President on Social Protection, Mrs. Maryam Uwais, who represented the vice president, said the beneficiaries of the cash transfer are households contained in the National Social Register that was built using targeted machanisms to identify poor and vulnerable households.

    Mrs. Uwais said: “By the end of this year, we should have a register of the entire country. This register is where all our beneficiaries will be mined from. There is a number for each of the beneficiaries, and we’ll have their pictures captured.

    “When we started, three banks offered to support us with the biometrics. By the time they started going to the locations, they realised it was costly for them. So they backed out. a

    “Now, we’re working through agents to ensure we pay at the last mile, because if a person is on this register, and is actually deserving of this our N5,000, many of them cannot travel for long distances.”

  • Abacha loot: How cash transfer program will work, by Osinbajo

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo Wednesday said the cash transfer programme involving the recovered $322million Abacha loot will be stringently monitored to ensure transparency.

    He said monitors would visit the individual households that have been identified through “deliberate targeting”.

    The Vice-President spoke in Abuja when he launched the Monitoring of Recovered Assets through Transparency and Accountability (MANTRA) Project.

    It was at a roundtable organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) to mark the First African Day of Anti-Corruption.

    Read Also:How Abacha loot should be spent-ANRP

    The roundtable had the theme: “Enhancing Domestic Resources for Sustainable Development Goals by Improved Asset Recovery and Asset Return”.

    The Switzerland Government, based on a memorandum of understanding with Swiss banks and the World Bank, returned $322million to Nigeria.

    A Swiss court order that led to the repatriation of Abacha loot was made on the condition that the World Bank will supervise the money’s utilisation to prevent mis-management and re-looting.

    Special Adviser to the President on Social Protection, Mrs Maryam Uwais, who represented the Vice President, said the beneficiaries of the cash transfer are households contained in the National Social Register that was built using targeted machanisms to identify poor and vulnerable households.

    Mrs Uwais said: “By the end of this year, we should have a register of the entire country. This register is where all our beneficiaries will be mined from. There is a number for each of the beneficiaries, and we’ll have their pictures captured.

    “When we started, three banks offered to support us with the biometrics. By the time they started going to the locations, they realised it was costly for them. So they backed out.

    “Now, we’re working through agents to ensure we pay at the last mile, because if a person is on this register, and is actually deserving of this our N5, 000, many of them cannot travel for long distances.

    “Many of them need the money so we don’t want them spending money going to look for their money. So we’re using the agents. We’re working to see that their biometrics are captured.”

    She said data generated during the cash transfer programme would be used for planning purposes.

    “It’s more than just financial inclusion. It’s also social inclusion. It’s important for planning that every state is aware of where these people are located. We’re also collating data on access roads to these communities, nearest primary schools, secondary schools, healthcare centres, and connectivity issues.

    “There is a huge conversation on how to ensure that we’re able to make payment by virtual wallet, because a lot of our women on pay days are visible when they go to collect their money and we need to protect them.

    “In two or three communities, we’ve have incidences where the youths come around and say: ‘We selected you, so you must drop a levy’. For that reason we engaged the Minister of Interior who introduced us to the D-G of Civil Defence. Now we have armed men that escort our agents on pay day to pay these women.

    “We try to encourage them to adopt a saving culture. It’s about mentoring and encouraging them to form savings groups, and take ownership. It’s much more than cash.”

    Budget Office Director-General Mr Ben Akabueze debunked concerns that the money was not appropriated. He said a provision was made for it in the 2018 budget.

    “In the budget for 2018 for instance, we have reflected in the revenues a total of N512billion of recoveries, including domestic recoveries and those from outside. In reality, this has been appropriated. It’s part of the funds that along with other government borrowings and revenues have been appropriated.

    “Also, in the 2018 budget, we have a provision for N500billion for social investment programme, which includes conditional cash transfers,” Akabueze said.

    PACAC Executive Secretary Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, speaking on the sidelines of the roundtable, said cash transfer programmes are done globally.

    “It’s a temporary thing to bring people out of poverty and including them in social welfare. The register being used was developed by the last administration, working with the World Bank. It’s not being done on political party basis. Ekiti, Oyo and Kwara states had the framework, and that’s why they had a head start.

    “Monitors go there directly to check. It’s not by calculation. If it were left to politicians, they’d put people they want. But that is not happening. The media should go and check it out. Conditional cash transfer was going on before Abacha money was returned.

    “Do you know there are people who have never held N2,000 in their hands? The Swiss judgment is clear: the money should be used for Nigerian people and should be monitored by the World Bank. Based on the parameters in the MOU, nobody can steal the money unless the World Bank is complicit,” Owasanoye said.

  • $322m Abacha’s loot: Group faults disbursement plan

    The Advocacy for Integrity and Economic Development (AIED) has faulted Federal Government’s plan to share part of the $322,000,000 recovered from the family of the late maximum ruler, Sani Abacha and repatriated from Switzerland, to the poor and vulnerable.

    The Special Assistant to the President on Justice Reforms, Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu, said on June 20 that the federal government plans to disburse N5,000 to 302,000 households categorised as poor and vulnerable in 19 states.

    But AIED said how the households were compiled was faulty as the figures were not provided by the National Population Commission (NPC).

    It said the money should be better used in providing social amenities and projects in the rural areas.

    In a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Director, Comrade O’Seun John, the group said there would still be a balance of N114. 4billion when N5,000 is shared to 302,000 households.

    It wondered whether the sharing plan was not a plot to distribute campaign funds and re-loot the money considering that the households were compiled with input from government officials.

    The group said: “AIED consider this proposed act as a deceitful venture laced with the bead of corruption and graft enablement by the Federal Government. The conservative naira equivalent of the returned loot stands at a whooping N115, 920, 000, 000.

    “This huge fund can best be channeled into providing basic social amenities and developmental projects that will be of direct benefits to Nigerians in the rural communities and most importantly, long Iasting, rather than throwing it on a one-off payment exercise.

    “Similarly, the proposed disbursement exercise in practical terms looks more like an avenue to re-loot the repatriated fund using a complex web of syndicated pyramid.

    “The composition and compilation of the National Social Register (NSR) intended to be used for the exercise is questionable, as this register was not provided by the NPC but built through inputs from state government officials, most of whom have over time been involved in ghost-worker scheme in the civil and public service.”

     

     

  • Abacha loot and other loot

    Something about the size of the loot says something about the size of the looter’s appetite. Take the infamous Abacha loot, for instance. Switzerland Ambassador Eric Mayoraz drew attention to the kleptocrat’s mind-boggling greed at a forum on asset recovery organised by the Swiss Embassy and the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice.

    Mayoraz was quoted as saying at the June 28 event in Abuja:  “All funds hidden in Swiss banks by Abacha were fully repatriated and so we don’t have any of such funds in Switzerland again. $752m was returned in 2005 and we discovered more and more in other banks and that involved the $322.5m that was repatriated earlier this year.” In other words, over $1billion Abacha loot had been returned.

    The diplomat employed diplomatic language when he justified the concern of the Swiss government that the latest $322.5m should be well managed and spent to enrich the poor. Mayoraz said: “Unfortunately, some of the assets that were returned, there was not so much transparency in it. So, we have to introduce the World Bank to get involved in this so that this particular one can be used by the Nigerian government with the monitoring of the World Bank.”

    This arrangement mocks Nigeria. It suggests that Nigeria’s leaders can’t be trusted with the returned Nigerian loot. More tragically, the arrangement is a response to a bad record regarding the management of the initial $752m.

    This time, according to Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment, Mrs. Maryam Uwais, who was represented at the forum, the returned money would be used to fund the government’s Social Investment Programme which would, among other things, give money to the poorest and most vulnerable households. She also said that the Federal Government would begin drawing money from the loot this month, and confirmed that the spending would be monitored by the World Bank.

    The involvement of another monitor, the United Kingdom government, clearly compounds the insult.  At the forum, Head, Department for International Development in Nigeria, Mrs. Debbie Palmer, said the UK government would spend £600,000 (N282m) to monitor the use of recovered assets.  She noted that Nigeria had recently received $322.5m Abacha loot from Switzerland and $73m and advised that the money should be put to good use. Palmer cited reports that said Africa was losing $50bn to political corruption every year.

    The late General Sani Abacha, who ruled the country dictatorially from 1993 to 1998, is believed to have stolen money to the tune of over $2 billion from the treasury. He ran a kleptocratic administration. The unending tale of his mammoth loot stashed away in banks across the globe continues to stretch the imagination 20 years after his death.

    In 2014, the United States (US) Department of Justice had highlighted Abacha’s looting methods, and reportedly froze $458 million in corruption funds linked to him in secret bank accounts around the world. The action was described as “the largest kleptocracy forfeiture ever in the US.” According to then Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the US Justice Department’s Criminal Division, “Gen. Abacha was one of the most notorious kleptocrats in memory, who embezzled billions from the people of Nigeria while millions lived in poverty.”

    This is the character President Muhammadu Buhari recently characterised in positive terms.  “No matter what opinion you have about Abacha, I agreed to work with him and the roads we did from PTF exist from here to Port Harcourt, to Onitsha, to Benin and so on,” Buahri had said while receiving a delegation of Buhari Support Organisation (BSO) at the Presidential Villa in May.  He also credited the Abacha dictatorship with other notable developmental projects in the education and health sectors.

    Buhari had served under Abacha as head of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), set up to utilise the proceeds of a petrol price hike, and this may well have influenced his picture of Abacha.  But the reality is that much more could have been done to develop the country with the billions of dollars Abacha stole.

    It is noteworthy that the US Department of Justice had identified Abacha’s looting style which, interestingly, has not gone out of fashion. According to the report, “The prosecutor believes Abacha and his associates conducted three fraudulent schemes during his time in office.”  Chief among them was “the ‘security votes’ fraud, through which more than $2 billion was embezzled from the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

    This information shows how little has changed in the approach to looting   by political helmsmen.  The “security votes” camouflage is still in vogue and it is perhaps the least problematic path to illegal earnings in government.

    Not surprisingly, the Federal Government’s  announced plan to redistribute the returned loot to about 300,000 households, with each getting about $14 (N5, 000) a month, has drawn  public criticism, particularly because the sharing is unlikely to be inclusive and the beneficiaries are unlikely to be elevated.  Spending the loot to fund the government’s   National Social Safety Net Programme (NAASP) will ultimately prove to be counterproductive.

    Transparency and accountability in the use of the recovered looted funds are better achieved by investing the money in developmental projects. The Nigerian authorities need to pay greater attention to socioeconomic conditions. The country needs to make significant progress on poverty reduction and ensure that the majority of its citizens enjoy improved quality of life.  Sharing the Abacha loot based on a parochial perspective won’t achieve the desired development.

    It is interesting that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) observed: “The return of the Abacha loot is a chance for President Buhari to commit to the enforcement of the 2016 judgment by Justice Mohammed Idris, which ordered his government to publish, disclose the spending of recovered loot since 1999 by past and present governments till date, as well as details of projects on which the funds were spent.”

    There is no doubt that the unavailability of such a comprehensive record of how recovered looted funds were utilised, or not utilised, for developmental purposes over the years is a discredit to the Buhari administration’s anti-corruption campaign.

     

  • $322m Abacha loot: Cash transfers to poor homes begin in July

    The Federal Government says it will commence disbursement of the recovered 322 million dollars Abacha loot through Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) to 302,000 poor households in 19 states in July.

    Mr Tukur Rumar, of the National Cash Transfer Office (NTCO), said this at a roundtable on assets recovery organised by the Swiss Embassy on Thursday, in Abuja.

    The event was organised to intimate citizens and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the efforts both nations were making on asset recovery after the Post-Global Forum on Assets Recovery (GFAR) held in Washington D.C. in Dec. 2017.

    At the forum, Nigeria made commendable commitments on beneficial ownership, tax transparency, asset recovery, transparency management of recovered funds and payments to victims of corruption.

    The states are: Niger, Kogi, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Kwara, Cross River, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarrawa, Anambra and Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) in Borno.

    According to Rumar, the benefiting households will receive N5,000 monthly and are derived from the National Social Register (NSR) that the 19 states are already on.

    He said the programme was designed to also train beneficiaries on livelihood skills, social skills and other programmes that would change their lives completely.

    Rumar, however, said that NCTO had been making payments to the 46,000 poor and vulnerable households across the 19 states since Dec. 2016, adding that the number had increased to 290,000.

    Mr Iorwa Apera, the National Coordinator, National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), said 503,055 households were already on the NSR register from the 19 states, adding that by July, there would be a social register for all the states of the federation.

    He said that of the Abacha loot, about 302,000 poor homes across the 19 states would be mined by the NCTO to begin to receive the Abacha loot.

    Apera told the participants that the Federal Government would begin with those states, because they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NASSCO to put in place certain infrastructure to empower the national register.

    “Some of the states delayed, but the other ones were quick enough to set up infrastructure that allowed us to start work there, but all the states are now on board as they have set up their state operating offices and donated office equipment to us.

    “As states come on board, we enroll and so they extend to the beneficiary register, and presently we are generating data in all the states now,’’ he said.

    Read Also: EFCC launches probe as $500m Abacha loot goes missing

    Mrs Linda Ekeator of the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment said the Abacha loot was invested in the social investment programme, because it was a programme that was already supported by the World Bank.

    She said that before the money was returned to Nigeria, there was an agreement with the Swiss government that it should be used for alleviating poverty and this was to be done with the supervision of the World Bank.

    The Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Eric Mayoraz said the 722 million dollars of the Abacha family money that was hidden in Switzerland was fully repatriated in 2005.

    He also said that the 322 million dollars that was repatriated in Dec. 2017, was money that was frozen by the Swiss Attorney-General, but was not domiciled in Switzerland, but in other countries, mainly Luxembourg.

    He, however, said measures had been put in place to ensure that Swiss banks were not used to hide stolen funds from other countries.

    “For possible new cases, the Swiss legislation has fundamentally changed.

    “The law in Switzerland does not allow bank secrecy anymore, and all banks and financial institutions have a due diligence duty to ask everyone coming with money where it is coming from.

    “That does not mean that there are no illegal or stolen assets now in Switzerland, but then there is another instrument I signed myself with the Nigerian Ministry of Justice and Switzerland two years ago on mutual legal assistance and this is for new cases.

    “Now, this agreement with our own Ministry of Justice and Nigeria is that there will be direct communication and exchange on mutual legal request and we are really collaborating with EFCC and other agencies in Nigeria,’’ Mayoraz.

    The Executive Director, ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor, said for Nigerian citizens to not keep spreading rumours about the whereabouts of recovered loots, the government must be transparent in all the processes.

    He also said that CSOs should be given access to the social register to enable it monitor properly whether or not the beneficiaries received what was due to them.

  • Abacha loots: Adeosun dismisses reports on payment to lawyers

    The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has dismissed a recent media report alleging that she wrote a “strongly-worded letter to the President” objecting to the payment of $16.9 million fees to two lawyers for the money recovered from the family of the late maximum ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha.

    A statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Finance, Oluyinka Akintunde,  said “the minister had at no time written any letter to the President or any member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the payment of lawyers for the Abacha recovery.”

    She also refuted the report of controversy surrounding the Abacha recovery, disclosing that the sum of $322,515,931.83 was received into a Special Account in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on December 18, 2017 from the Swiss Government.

    The statement said: “For the avoidance of doubt, there is no controversy concerning the recovery of the Abacha monies from the Swiss Government.”

     

     

     

  • EFCC launches probe as $500m Abacha loot goes missing

    EFCC launches probe as $500m Abacha loot goes missing

    Where is $500 million recovered from the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s family?

    This is the question the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is battling to answer.

    The cash was recovered from the family of the late Head of State during ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

    It was repatriated from slush accounts in foreign jurisdictions.

    The foreign governments,  which released the loot to the Federal Government after hard negotiations,  demanded that the cash be used for concrete developments, including infrastructure, such as roads, water, healthcare and education.

    EFCC detectives tracking the $500million have discovered that it was diverted.

    Of the $500million, about $250million was released to the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA)during the tenure of Col. Sambo Dasuki without appropriation. The balance of $250million cannot be traced yet.

    The Nation learnt that detectives discovered that the $250million was illegally withdrawn barely two months to the end of Jonathan’s administration.

    Investigators are said to be working on clues that part of the cash was spent on “extraneous matters, including media services, opinion polls and personal matters”.

    According to a fact-sheet on the investigation, the $250million was withdrawn between March 2, 2015 and April 21, 2015.

    About $36,155,000 (N13,015,800billion) of the $250million was also withdrawn in cash “without any purpose” on March 2nd, 9th, 16th and 18th of 2015.

    Detectives have retrieved documents relating to the alleged “re-looting” of the Abacha loot.

    In the fact-sheet, the ONSA in a memo of January 12, 2015, asked the former Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to transfer $300million .

    The memo said: “Please refer to our meeting on recovered funds.  You are pleased requested to remit the sum of $300m and £5.5m to the following account being ONSA share as agreed. Account name: CBN (NSA Foreign Operation; Account number: -100367-USD-CABANK30

    Bank;  Address: 28, Finsbury Circus, London. Please accept the assurances of my highest esteem.”

    Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, in a memo to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, requested for $300m from the Abacha loot.

    Only $250million was released to the ex-NSA.

    The January 20, 2015 memo said: “Attached,  please find a request by the NSA for the transfer of $300m and British pounds (£5.5m) of the recovered Abacha funds to ONSA operations account. The NSA has explained that this is to enable purchase of ammunition, security and other intelligence equipment for the security agencies in order to enable them confront the ongoing Boko Haram threat.

    “His request is sequel to the meeting you chaired with the committee on use of recovered funds where decision was made that recovered Abacha funds would be split 50-50 between urgent security needs to confront Boko Haram and development needs (including a portion for the Future Generations window of Sovereign Wealth Fund).

    “This letter is to seek your approval to borrow these funds, for now, to disburse to the NSA. These funds form part of projected FG Independent Revenue to be appropriated.

    “In light of this and for accountability, given the peculiar nature of security and intelligence transactions, we would expect the NSA to account to your Excellency for the utilisation of the funds.”

    On January 29, 2015, the ex-President responded to the ex-Minister as follows: “CME/HMF, approved.”

    To back his approval, Dr. Jonathan through his Senior Special Assistant  (Admin) Matt Aikhionbare,  in a memo of January 30, 2015 said: “RE: Request by NSA for transfer of funds.” I am directed to forward Ref A to you and convey to you Mr. President’s approval. Humbly submitted for your further action, Ma’am.”

    Detectives have discovered that only $250million out of the $300million requested was paid to ONSA.

    16/2/15

    In a letter of February 16, 2015, the then Director of Funds of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. M.K. Dikwa, in a memo to the CBN Governor, conveyed the mandate to transfer the $250million.

    The memo said: “. You are hereby requested to immediately effect fund transfer as below($250m) being amount disbursed to enable for the purchase of ammunition, security and other intelligence equipment for the security agencies in order to enable them fully confront the ongoing Boko Haram threat.

    “As per Mr. President’s approval  on CME-HMF/FMF/2015/18 dated 20th January 2015 conveyed via State Houses letter No PRES/87/MF /-2/520 dated 30th January 2015. NSA’s letter Ref. No. NSA/362/5 dated 5th March 2015 also refers.”

    A source said: “The $250million was duly approved by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan; the ex-NSA did not commit any infractions. He acted in the interest of the country.

    It is incorrect for EFCC to assume that the $250million was diverted because it was used to purchase vital equipment.”

    A table of how the $250million was spent was obtained by our correspondent last night.

    An EFCC source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We will need to interact with the former Minister of Finance, Okonjo-Iweala, to guide us on the contents of her letter,  especially on the legality of the withdrawal of the $250million.

    “We will find out  what she meant by to ‘borrow these funds’ and these ‘funds form part of projected FG Independent Revenue to be appropriated.’ She should assist investigators on whether or not the ex-NSA accounted to Jonathan for the ‘utilization of the funds.’

    A former Chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, had claimed that Abacha “took over $6 billion from Nigeria”. He also said $2 billion was recovered when he was in charge of the anti-graft agency.

    The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project(SERAP) had through its Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, on 21 September 2015 sent an access to information request to the President, World Bank Group, asking him to “exercise the bank’s prerogative to release documents relating to spending of recovered assets stolen by late Gen. Sani Abacha”.

    SERAP asked the World Bank President to “disclose information about the Bank’s role in the implementation of any projects funded by the recovered assets and any other on-going repatriation initiatives on Nigeria with which the bank is engaged.”

    It said: “The request is pursuant to the World Bank’s Access to Information Policy (The Policy), approved by the Board on June 30 2015. SERAP notes that one of the policy’s guiding principles is to maximise access to information. There is also clear public interest in Nigerians knowing about the Bank’s supervisory role and specifically its involvement in the implementation of projects on which repatriated funds were spent.”

    But Okonjo-Iweala in 2015 insisted that she had no case to answer.

    She said: “Former President Jonathan set up a Committee comprising the former Minister of Justice, former NSA and the former Minister of Finance to determine how best to use both the returned  and expected funds for development.

    “The NSA made a case for using the returned funds for urgent security operations since, he noted, there cannot be any development without peace and security. Based on this, a decision was taken to deploy about $322m for the military operations, while the expected $700m would be applied for development programmes as originally conceived.

    “Following the discussions and based on the urgency of the NSA’s memo, Dr Okonjo-Iweala requested the President to approve the transfer of the requested amount to the NSA’s Office for the specified purposes.

    “But, as captured in the memo, she insisted on three conditions: a. only a part, not the entire Abacha funds would be spent on the arms; the rest would be invested in developmental projects as originally conceived b. the money was to be treated as borrowed funds which would be paid back as soon as possible c. the NSA’s office was to account for the spending to the President who was the Commander in Chief, given the fact that the Minister of Finance is not part of the security architecture and does not participate in the Security Council.

    “The attempt to link the former Minister’s name to any misuse of these funds for any purpose other than security as far as she understood it is totally false and cannot stand.”