Posted By: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

•Summons Finance Commissioner, three others •Govt blocks anti-graft agency from grilling officials •Eight top lawyers implicated, SSG signs undertaking to produce suspects

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has traced about N1.4billion allegedly belonging to the Akwa Ibom State Government to 11 suspected slush accounts.

The cash was remitted into the accounts in two tranches of N1.1billion and N300million,The Nation gathered yesterday.

Some of the accounts belong to eight top lawyers in the country.

Sources said yesterday that they might be interrogated soon.

One of the suspected lawyers has made a statement to the EFCC on how he came about the huge transfers into his account from the Akwa Ibom State Government accounts.

The suspect, according to sources, told detectives that the deposits were legal fees for 16 cases.

He could not produce documentary evidence of any agreement between his team and the state government.

Detectives were said to be curious that the alleged legal fees were paid into the 11 accounts in cash as against the standard practice of paying with cheque.

It was also gathered that one of the accounts which was opened on March 16, 2016 had a huge deposit record on March 14, 2016.



The anti-graft agency has already invited four officials of the state government for questioning on the issue.

They are: Commissioner for Finance, Nsikan Linus, the Permanent Secretary and Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Justice , and an Assistant Chief Accountant in the Accountant-General Office in the state, Mfon Jacobson Udomah.

They have all refused to honour the invitation without any valid reason.

The fact-sheet of the case sighted by The Nation showed that N1.4billion was remitted into the various accounts as follows: N135m; N120m; N100m; N60m; N60m; N65m; N570m; N75m; N75m; N75m; N30m; and N45m.

Investigators said: “There was no document tied to specific payment. The deposit also did not specify what the cash was meant for.

“There was no evidence of any agreement between the state government and the beneficiaries of the N1.4billion. The lead coordinator of the lawyers who benefitted from the cash could not say how much was charged and how much was agreed upon.

“The lead lawyer only said the cash was for 16 cases in various courts across the country but only a case was reflected as having gone from the lower court to the Supreme Court.

“The lead lawyer has made statement without any shred of evidence or document to justify the legal contract.”

The EFCC is insisting that the four officials must report for questioning.

A source familiar with the matter said: “Letters of invitation were written to the Permanent Secretary and Director of Finance and Accounts of the Ministry of Justice of Akwa Ibom State on June 8, 2018 and the Commissioner for Finance and an Assistant Chief Accountant in the Accountant-General Office in the state on July 13, 2018.

“They were to be questioned in Abuja. They all failed to report despite sending reminders to them on July 3 and July 13. We later sent a team to interact with them at the EFCC’s Uyo Zonal office but they refused to meet with our operatives.

“The EFCC’s team from Abuja travelled to Uyo on July 19 and on July 20, our operatives requested to invite the affected state officials. None of them came around.

“The Secretary to the State Government and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice wrote an undertaking in Uyo Zonal Office and Abuja respectively assuring the EFCC that the invited persons would report as requested but they failed to turn up.

“The Attorney-General came to Abuja on July 24, 2018 that he would bring those invited on July 30 but he never did. We are still insisting they must come.”

http://thenationonlineng.net/efcc-traces-akwa-iboms-n1-4b-to-11-accounts/

Pdp are criminals

Chai

N some people are telling me the richest state in oil revenue can not complete a project in 3 years

Akpabio tried

You can see the drainage system, hospital,roads and stadium among many projects started and completed under him

All Pdp are banking on is tribal and hatred politics

Shame on Pdp and followers

It was also gathered that one of the accounts which was opened on March 16, 2016 had a huge deposit record on March 14, 2016.


How does the above make sense?

Patience is a virtue which PDP lacks.

PDP can never change -Serial primitive looters.

And they were crying fowl when they freeze the acct.

They should extend such investigations to Kofi, osun, Oyo, Ogun states

What about Akpabio's case?

otubobo:
They should extend such investigations to Kofi, osun, Oyo, Ogun states

Why?

sarrki:
Chai

N some people are telling me the richest state in oil revenue can not complete a project in 3 years

Akpabio tried

You can see the drainage system, hospital,roads and stadium among many projects started and completed under him

All Pdp are banking on is tribal and hatred politics

Shame on Pdp and followers

No one should be suprised about your comments because you are an APC apologist! It is very typical of you people to celebrate anyone whom you have hitherto referred to as corrupt, thief and called all manner of dirty names once the same person cross over to APC.

Ok

Regina Daniels Beats Flavour Babe Chidinma In Shaku Shaku Dance Challenge


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsYYIlpJXM0

Criticism is tiring
This government is really fighting corruption

Meanwhile check out my signature thanks

Arrest them all!
PMB in 2019 and beyond, it is crystal clear.... If you want to know how..I will tell you.

The Katsina state bye-election returned over 400,000 votes...that is just one senatorial District out of three!
The returned votes are more than the entire Ekiti State governorship election votes... Meaning, a senatorial district result in Katsina can swallow the total votes of a State like Ekiti..... Buhari is winning 2019, no doubt

sarrki:
Pdp are criminals

APC are saints abi?

APC cannot blackmail udom to joining their evil fold.
They have failed.

APC is a scum. And I thought OBJ was worse?

Crimes committed since 2016 and it took a defection to start probing it?

Ok, RECOVER IT FROM THOSE 11 ACCOUNTS.

EOD
GBAM
QED

It was also gathered that one of the accounts which was opened on March 16, 2016 had a huge deposit record on March 14, 2016.

I am not understanding this...did they go back in time ?

Game of thrones

If the governor changes party to the running party, no bother will talk about all this issue again.
Well there is GOD oooo

Haha useless govt, Akpabio is a saint- Buhari, 2018

Ordinary 1.4 billion is what efcc is tracing, what about the 2bn Buhari offered Akwa ibom speaker to defect to APC

When shall they probe Lagos accounts? Useless APC led federal government

escodotman:
What about Akpabio's case?

He's now a saint...

AZeD1:
It was also gathered that one of the accounts which was opened on March 16, 2016 had a huge deposit record on March 14, 2016.


How does the above make sense?

God bless u...U are blessed!!!most people didn't notice d discrepancy but quick to applaud diz poor badly orchestrated poo
..

AZeD1:
It was also gathered that one of the accounts which was opened on March 16, 2016 had a huge deposit record on March 14, 2016.


How does the above make sense?

That's the type of nonsense Sarrkî and co. likes to believe. Imagine