Bubble over raid for looted funds at “Ekweremadu’s” house

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  A move by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation working with the Office of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel on the Recovery of Public Property, SPIP to recover allegedly looted funds from two principal officers of the Senate has ended in controversy.

 The SPIP, working in concert with a private firm, Algaita Group had at the end of last month obtained a search warrant from a Wuse, FCT Magistrates Court to search the properties allegedly belonging to the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and the Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Philip Aduda. The search for the funds allegedly instigated by a whistleblower, however, ended in a fiasco after heavily armed policemen mobilised by the SPIP failed to recover any looted funds and the property at House D1, Nasiru Barau Close, Usman Nagogo Drive, Katampe Estate, Phase III, Abuja was vehemently denied by the occupants as not belonging to Ekweremadu.
Following the debacle, the whistle blower and a spiritual guide, described by one source yesterday as a native doctor were picked up by the angry policemen for prosecution.  Plans to search Senator Aduda’s property at Plot 112 Ebitu Ukiwe Street, Jabi Abuja were subsequently aborted.
Chairman of the SPIP, Okoi Obono-Obla, however, denied the narrative yesterday fuming while news of the event which happened on April 25 was delayed until now. He, nevertheless, reasserted the capacity of his panel to search every nook and cranny of Nigeria for looted funds especially given the claim that a legally obtained search warrant was procured for the raid.

The search followed a letter dated 23rd April 2018 to the AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami, referenced ALG/ABJ/006, the Group Managing Director of Algaita Group, Mr. A.M Maiturare, where it was claimed that “credible information at our disposal indicate that suspected stolen funds (were) stashed within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by some of our national leaders at their private residence, which are believed to be proceeds of fraud from the Federal Government of Nigeria”.
Another letter by the company dated the same 23rd April 2018 also addressed to the AGF, with reference number ALG/ABJ/007, the company said the details of the alleged owners of the looted funds as Senator Ike Ekweremadu, House D1, Nasiru Barau Close, Usman Nagogo Drive, Katampe Estate, Phase III, Abuja. Senator Philip Tenimu Aduda, plot 112 Ebitu Ukiwe Street, Jabi Abuja. The same day, the company also initiated a letter to Obono-Obla purporting the approval of the AGF for the search.
The letter also curiously dated 23rd April 2018 with reference number ALG/CSIPFRPP/001 reads: “We have been engaged and authorised by The Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to proceed with the recovery of looted funds hidden within the FCT. “In line with the foregoing, we humbly request your support and assistance towards the recovery of huge local and foreign currencies believed/suspected to be looted and hidden in houses/premises within the FCT.
“We, in furtherance of the position stated above, request for the support of the Panel to facilitate access and evacuation of the proceeds to the Central Bank of Nigeria as directed by the AGF.”
The SSIP was thus believed to have obtained a search warrant issued by Magistrate Taribo Z. Jim of on 25th April 2018, with which they were to recover the allegedly looted funds.
One source said that besides the whistleblower, a spiritual guide who a source privy to the developments termed a native doctor to help pinpoint the exact location of the allegedly looted funds.
At the building said to belong to Ekweremadu, the occupiers of the building, however, were reported to have strenuously denied the claim saying that the building belonged to them.
They were, however, brushed aside as the police armed with its obtained search warrant as directed by the spiritual guide searched several points with manual diggers obtained for the operation digging several places before giving up. Frustrated, the team refused to proceed to Aduda’s residence who was at that time out of the country on an official trip to Morrocco. The whistle blower Saturday Vanguard learned fled while the spiritual guide who was held was, however, subsequently released.
Obono-Obla, however, denied the account yesterday describing it as fake news but insisted on the capacity of the panel to search anywhere in the country for looted funds. “They claimed that the alleged raid happened on April 25, why did they wait till now to report the incident and not immediately? But like I said, it’s not my panel, and I’m not aware of any such development. So disregard the report,”..

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