OUTGOING police chief Mike Okiro launched yesterday a desperate battle to save his career from ending on a bitter note.

The retiring Inspector General of Police (IGP) denied allegations by Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) that he was part of the loan defaulters who killed Lead Bank Ltd.

NDIC had on Wednesday alleged that Okiro contributed to the bank’s insolvency by failing to repay credit facilities of more than N166 million extended to him between 2000 and 2001.

The corporation alleged that Okiro, as "a police officer and knowing the implication of forging a signature, signed a document as Bessy Okiro and which signature is consistent with your true signature as Sir Mike Okiro on some of the documents available to us".

Okiro, alleged the NDIC, secured the loan to finance a pipeline laying contract that he had won from Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC). He used his family business enterprise, Hekiro Nigeria Ltd, to obtain the loan, it said.

It also accused Okiro of abuse of office and a breach of the code of conduct for public officers for using his office to secure the contract.

At his valedictory conference with senior police officers yesterday in Abuja, Okiro, who is retiring today, said the allegations were untrue and were mere frame-up by the NDIC in consonance with its Managing Director, Ganiyu Ogunleye, whom he accused of trying to tarnish his image as a pay back for the court case he (Okiro) instituted against him (Ogunleye) for alleged acts of fraud.

He said the company belongs to his wife who got the loan from the defunct Lead Bank to execute on Agip contract, adding that the money had been paid back.

Okiro said an agreement was reached that Agip should pay the contract sum directly to Lead Bank to offset the loan while his wife who maintained an account with the defunct bank would get her profit from the contract through the account after the debt might have been defrayed.

He added that unknown to his wife, Lead Bank ran into trouble and was suspended by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from foreign exchange handling, thereby prompting Lead Bank into opening an account with the defunct National Bank to handle its (Lead Bank’s) foreign currency transactions.

Okiro said Agip complied with the instruction by Lead Bank that the foreign currency payment meant for Lead Bank should be paid into the special account opened with the National Bank.

His words: "The contract sum was paid up by Agip. Lead Bank did not pay my wife her own share of the money paid by Agip while NDIC that had taken over the assets of National Bank had not deemed it fit to release the trapped fund.

"My wife did not owe NDIC or Lead Bank. NDIC was the one owing my wife.

"I challenge Ogunleye and the NDIC management to bring to public any document I (Okiro) signed on behalf of the company as a director of the company to prove the allegations that I forged a signature of my wife or anybody."

Parading a document on which lists of borrowers from defunct banks were written and forwarded to the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions on the June 27, last year, Okiro said neither the name of his wife, his wife’s company’s nor his was listed as a debtor or a borrower, adding that the new move by NDIC was an afterthought.

In a July 20 letter to Okiro signed by NDIC lawyer, Okunade Olorundare (SAN), released in Abuja on Wednesday, the corporation demanded immediate re-payment of the loan within 48 hours.

NDIC noted in the letter that as at January 16, 2006 when the banking license of Lead Bank Ltd was revoked, Hekiro Nig. Ltd, which was being run as a family business by the Okiros was indebted to the bank to the tune of N166, 597,365.97.

Rights lawyer Femi Falana said yesterday that Okiro should face trial, if the allegations are found to be true.

He said: "Since the rule of law stipulates that nobody is above the law Mr Mike Okiro should be arrested and charged before the Code of Conduct Bureau and the High Court for alleged forgery under the Criminal Code, breach of Code of Conduct, corrupt practices and obtaining the sum of N166m by false pretences."

kofiannan:


Rights lawyer Femi Falana said yesterday that Okiro should face trial, if the allegations are found to be true.

He said: "Since the rule of law stipulates that nobody is above the law Mr Mike Okiro should be arrested and charged before the Code of Conduct Bureau and the High Court for alleged forgery under the Criminal Code, breach of Code of Conduct, corrupt practices and obtaining the sum of N166m by false pretences."

yes he should be charged to court.

If the allegations are true, he should face the law and pay for his crime

Fhemmmy:

If the allegations are true, he should face the law and pay for his crime

he has already being paid for his crime. crime pays in Nigeria.