The cash – comprising $43.5 million, £27,800 and N23.2 million hidden inside Apartment 7B at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi – was uncovered by operatives of the EFCC on April 12.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday took charge of bank accounts operated by Nigeria’s foreign intelligence service, the National Intelligence Agency, the latest in a string of measures against the NIA in the wake of last month’s discovery of N13 billion in a Lagos apartment.

The cash – comprising $43.5 million, £27,800 and N23.2 million hidden inside Apartment 7B at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi – was uncovered by operatives of the EFCC on April 12.

The director general of the NIA, Ayodele Oke, admitted to PREMIUM TIMES the money belonged to his agency, and was later suspended from office.

Mr. Oke said the money was meant for multiple “covert projects” across the country. This newspaper published excerpts of letters between Mr. Oke and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, which showed the NSA knew about the operation beforehand. The letters also showed President Muhammadu Buhari was informed by the NSA.

Security sources however told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that operatives of the anti-graft agency compelled the director of Finance and Administration of the NIA to hand over the accounts of the beleaguered agency to an Army officer attached to the Office of the National Security Adviser.

The EFCC designated Jaafaru Mohammed, a brigadier general in the Nigerian Army, to assume the position of the Director of Finance of the NIA and commence a holistic audit of the agency’s finances.

The development was the climax of a week-long prying operation which saw detectives from the anti-graft agency grill four senior officials of the NIA.

PREMIUM TIMES has withheld the names of all the NIA personnel in order not to compromise their identities.

Several sources told this newspaper that last week, the NSA made at least two attempts to impose Mr. Mohammed on the NIA as its new Director of Finance, but officials of the agency blocked him from resuming each time.

Following the rejection of Mr. Mohammed, the EFCC invited NIA’s Director of Finance and Administration and two officials from the same account department, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.
The officials were later released after hours of questioning.

Anti-graft operatives also visited the NIA Headquarters to interrogate some officials during the week, our sources said.

On Friday, the EFCC invited NIA’s Director of Finance and Administration and detained him for several hours. Later, anti-graft detectives took him back to the NIA Headquarters where he was compelled to hand over to Mr. Mohammed, PREMIUM TIMES understands.

Violating the law?

Although the new measures are in furtherance of the EFCC’s investigations of the N13 billion Ikoyi money, security officials have questioned their legality, given the special status accorded the NIA by the National Security Agencies Act of 2004, prohibiting interference in its financial dealings.

Section 12 (1) or the NIA Instrument No. 1 of 1999, provides that “The Director-General ( of the NIA ) is responsible to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for the proper expenditure and accounting of all funds made available to the Agency from the security vote and any other source.”

Section 12 (2) of the NIA Instrument No. 1 of 1999 provides the only accounting method which the NIA must follow: “The accounts of the National Intelligence Agency shall not be subject to external audit but the Director-General shall, by the first week of March each year, render to the President, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, certificates showing the total sums expended during the preceding period and the main heading under which the expenditure was made and copy the National Security Adviser.”

Legally, the NIA Instrument 1 is deemed as an extension of the NSA Act, deriving its authority from Section 6 of the NSA Act, which gives the president the power to issue Instruments regarding the operations and structures of NIA, State Security Service, and Defence Intelligence Agency.

The Section says “the President may by an instrument under his hand make provisions with respect to” “the structure of each of the agencies.., the manner in which each of the agencies is to be administered, and the manner in which the powers of each of the agencies is to be exercised”, amongst other matters.

The NIA Instrument 1 was issued in 1999 by former military head of state, Abdusalam Abubakar, and incorporated into the NSA Act.

Warnings

Despite these provisions, Nigerians have in the past weeks intensely debated the legal and ethical implications of investigating an intelligence agency linked to a huge amount of cash stashed in a private property.

Late April, a former Minister of External Affairs, Bolaji Akinyemi, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to exercise caution in exposing the NIA to external investigation.

“External Intelligence operations do not belong into the same security genre as domestic security forces such as the SSS, EFCC and the Police,” Mr. Akinyemi said.

As minister between 1985 and 1987, Mr. Akinyemi oversaw the activities of the NIA before the agency was restructured and placed under the supervision of the Office of the National Security Adviser.

The former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Emeka Anyaoku, has also spoken against an external investigation, which he said was capable of rubbishing the nation’s capacity to promote a strong foreign policy project.

But several Nigerians have argued that no agency of government expending public funds should be beyond scrutiny.

A presidential probe panel headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has inspected the accounts of the agency and has completed its work.

The panel, which also includes the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; and the Attorney-General Abubakar Malami, had sent two officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to peruse the accounts of the NIA.

Last week, some security officials, speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, expressed concern about how the statutory privacy of a key security agency was been violated.

“I think we should rethink what is playing out in this case, especially with all former DGs of the NIA, including the longest serving NSA in Nigeria, volunteering to come to Abuja to defend the NIA DG and attempt to save the NIA from destruction. These are the authorities on security in Nigeria,” said a retired security chief closely acquainted with many of the top spy chiefs.

A presidency source confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that a team of past NIA chiefs had met with all three members of the Osinbajo Panel to table their position.

The EFCC did not respond to request for comments on Monday. The commission’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, neither answered calls nor respond to a text message, after initially promising to revert within minutes.

http://saharareporters.com/2017/05/15/n13-billion-ikoyi-cash-haul-efcc-takes-over-nias-bank-accounts

If you have ever stolen even one naira in your life or taken what doesn't belong to you,or inflated price... You have no right to condemn looters.
We are all corrupt.this menace must be tackled from the root.

This is what you get when a director decides to rubbish his ministry; now he has subjected the highly esteemed NIA into the prying eyes of EFCC and other parastatals that normally would not have any audacity to come close to the NIA.

This should serve as a lesson to all these directors and ministers; not that they care enough though.

Last week, some security officials, speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, expressed concern about how the statutory privacy of a key security agency was been violated.

They are concerned with their privacy yet they stached money in a public house; not a safe house, but an apartment belonging to their principal's wife. He who gathers ant infested firewood invites the lizard to his compound.

I hope the EFCC will be able to prosecute anybody involved in this brohaha..... "Say No to Corruption"

Good

Hmmm

Nigeria is not ready to fight corruption because somewhere, somewhere...there is a Nigerian saying that there is nothing wrong with the fishy way money was moved around by Intelligence in the recent past.

again?

okooooo

These thieves called EFCC

Wrong move

Kindly publish the result of the high panel investigation abeg
is Maku now doing something different from what the office of the Vice president was asked to investigate?

This Govt is just out to dance and make their band of zombies happy

Every body Blow ur WHISTLE ..... Pararara


If Na me blow d whistle for did money eh ....... By now I 4 dey Brazil wit big booty Girls!!!!

one week ,one case of case of arrest

still no high profile convictions

i don tire for this country

What can I say

so they shouldn't do their job?
If anyone knows where they sell brain, i know someone who needs

eezeribe:
If you have ever stolen even one naira in your life or taken what doesn't belong to you,or inflated price... You have no right to condemn looters.
We are all corrupt.this menace must be tackled from the root.

This country cast

For me it's of no use, it only make the problem hard.

Confirmed



I look forward to mind boggling news about how trillions are in the account and being shares on monthly quota

So they can reloot it abi

.

That's good

Solid move! Before them go discover another of NIA £50 million pounds for one face me I face you for ojota next!

Very good

Is the man on first picture crying? Buhari Government is trying to arrest almost every PDP members. God help this country...This is not CHANGE we voted for.

MaziOmenuko:
This is what you get when a director decides to rubbish his ministry; now he has subjected the highly esteemed NIA into the prying eyes of EFCC and other parastatals that normally would not have any audacity to come close to the NIA.

This should serve as a lesson to all these directors and ministers; not that they care enough though.



They are concerned with their privacy yet they stached money in a public house; not a safe house, but an apartment belonging to their principal's wife. He who gathers ant infested firewood invites the lizard to his compound.

And lizards can be noisy

All these long story for what? The whistleblower sef fit never receive any % , dem go just dey story am. That's if there is even any.

Wiseandtrue:
Ok but with all the cash recovered, fuel is still N145.00 per litre

Who be the thief nau

Good talk, all the recovered loots goes directly into another looters account.

eezeribe:
If you have ever stolen even one naira in your life or taken what doesn't belong to you,or inflated price... You have no right to condemn looters.
We are all corrupt.this menace must be tackled from the root.

I think Wike say na him (Rivers State) get the money and issued a 7 days ultimatum to the FG to return the cash to him or face litigation.

Abi the 7 days ultimatum never reach ni?