Former
Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi has been implicated in the
missing N13billion found hidden in house in Ikoyi by the EFCC.
Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, says the huge sums of
money, uncovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),
in an apartment in the Ikoyi area of Lagos on Wednesday, belong to
Rivers state.
Wike gave details during a press conference at the Government House
in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital. The Governor gave the
Federal Government 7 days to return the money of face legal actions.
It would be recalled that a Federal High Court in Lagos, had
earlier ordered the temporary forfeiture of the fund, (43 million
Dollars, 23 million Naira and 27,000 Pounds), to the Federal Government
of Nigeria.
The court said the monies should be in the Federal Government’s
custody until May 5, for any interested party in the funds to show cause
why the money should not be permanently forfeited. Wike alleged that
the money was stolen by Amaechi, an allegation the minister had already
denied.
“The money in question belongs to the former Rivers state governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
”We want to confirm that the houses in Ikoyi also belong to Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
“If you recollect in 2015, we said that gas turbines built by
former Governor Peter Odili were sold to Sahara Energy, business
partners of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi at $319 million.
“That money was used to sponsor the All Progressives Congress
for the 2015 general elections. From the date of sale of the gas
turbines to May 29, 2015, the money depleted from $319 million to
$204,000. What was stashed at the Ikoyi residence was part of that
fund,” Wike stated.
Further speaking, the special assistant to the governor on
electronic media, Simeon Nwakaudu, in a statement quoted the governor as
saying further: “We have facts to prove that the said money belongs
to the Rivers state government. The federal government must return our
money.”
Governor Wike said all the stories being peddled about the money
belonging to the National Intelligence Agency were false and mere face
saving measures by the embattled APC federal government.
“As I speak to you, the federal government is so embarrassed
that this has happened. All the stories that the money belongs to the
NIA are fake,” the governor said while challenging the federal
government to set up a panel of inquiry, which will sit publicly to
investigate the money if it doubted the claims of the Rivers state
government.
Wike said the Rivers state government needs the money to complete
an array of projects, insisting that on no account would this criminal
activity be swept under the carpet.
He also said as long as the federal government continues to disturb
the progress of Rivers state, so long would God throw the government at
the centre into confusion.
“We are giving them seven days to return our money. Otherwise,
we would take legal action to recover our money. $43 million will help
us complete several projects. We need that money for projects,” he said.
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