Lekan Shonde to be remanded at Ikoyi prison for next 30 days
The Magistrate, Mrs Oluyemisi Adelaja, ordered after his plea, that he should be remanded at the Ikoyi Prisons for 30 days, pending an advice from the state’s Director of Public Prosecutions. The case has been adjourned till June 24 for mention.
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President
Muhammadu Buhari came into power on the campaign of combating
corruption and wiping it out of the Nigerian system. It seems his effort
is being frustrated already from his own camp.
Dr. George Uboh is the managing director
of Panic Alert Security System (PASS) that was engaged by the
Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami to help
Nigeria trace some funds. Dr Uboh speaks with NAIJ.com on how the AGF
together with the banking sector mafia has frustrated his efforts so
far.
NAIJ.com: You and the
Attorney-general of the federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami seems to be
stuck in a blame game as regards the recovery of funds traced by your
company. What exactly is going on?
Dr. Uboh: Thank you
very much. I am Dr Gorge Uboh, the managing director, Panic Alert
Security Systems (PASS) formerly engaged by the federal government of
Nigeria via the Attorney General of the federation, Malami to trace
federal government funds trapped in financial institutions. Malami asked
me to come on board with him to make the ministry to perform well in
the area of assets recovery because I had met Malami before he was
appointed.
He knew what I could do. He knew the
evidence I had against EFCC and other agencies. So it was at that time a
match made in heaven. Now Malami gave me the letter of appointment, the
first one dated February 9, 2016. He then gave me the second letter
dated February 19, 2016. In fact the day I got the second letter
February 19, when I was on my way to the airport.
I had already swung into action. I
went to Dubai, United Kingdom (UK) and stayed in UK for like five to six
days. I was able to trace a little over £23 million regarding a
Nigerian Bank, Oceanic Bank actually. When I came back I started with
the Banks in Nigeria. What struck me was that the main Bank I have
always held to be the most culpable, that is Access Bank…..If you follow
my petition, the allegations against Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC)/ Lamorde when I went to the senate last year. I
alleged that Access Bank expunged four year statement on behalf of EFCC
and Access Bank is warehousing a lot of money that EFCC failed to remit
to the federal government. So, I had my eyes on Access Bank very well.
Access Bank called me to tell me
that whether I had heard from the minister that is Malami. And I asked
them for what and they were like our bosses met with him and he promised
to call you to soft pedal. So that same day I communicated to Malami
via his Personal Assistant (P.A) Nafiu who had always been our conduit,
that I will not tolerate any phone call from Malami regarding any issue
of soft peddling on any of the Banks. Now within 27 days, I was able to
trace in different currencies and Banks approximately N324bn which is
over a billion dollars. And for reasons best known to Malami, I went to
the ministry and there was something very funny going on. On a Thursday,
I think on a 24th or so I went to see Malami and the P.A said I should
wait. He later said I should come back the next day on Friday, which is
on Good-Friday.
When I left the ministry I spent
two hours on the way, I had lunch and I got to the office and saw a
letter of revocation, revoking my engagement. Certainly the letter was
typed as soon as I left or something. But that is not even my gripe. I
have posited that I am not concerned with the revocation. Malami as the
minister enjoys the privilege to appoint and revoke. My gripe is that
the money I have traced Malami must recover in the interest of Nigeria
first, then George Uboh second who is owed money. That is where we are.
Now any excuse and I challenge you to go to him. Any excuse he proffers
can never trump his duty, his oath of office particularly in an
administration that came on board on the mantra of anti-corruption. Over
$1bn traced and we are yet to recover. Malami must be sacked with
immediate effect and that is my position.
NAIJ.com: So, you are saying the AGF is corrupt?
Dr.Uboh: The AGF is
corrupt by inaction or omission at least. The letter I am doing for
Buhari, I am talking about $1bn traced funds and $75bn yet to be traced
because I have a database and I discussed this with Malami. So, Malami
revoking the contract or truncating the whole process is costing Nigeria
over $75bn. I have the records and I gave him what I traced within 27
days with his own frustrations and with the Banks not even cooperating.
Imagine if he had cooperated. That is the problem we have in this
country. That is the same problem we have in this country.. NAIJ.com:
Overall, how would rate the anti-corruption drive of the
present government in the light of the petitions you have written to the
president?
Dr. Uboh: This is my advice and I
believe he didn’t get it because I know that petitions against certain
powerful people are hijacked in the Villa. I wrote to Buhari and said
that while I am convinced you are not corrupt I submit that if you don’t
mete out the requisite punitive measures against your cabinet or rather
people close to you when necessary, you will end up wearing the crown
of corruption by inaction or omission as part of your legacy. Because we
have people close to Buhari that are very corrupt and corruption is not
just taking bribes. It is even in your action or inaction. If people
close to you are corrupt and you have the evidence and refused to do
something you are equally corrupt by inaction. That is my take. I can’t
go and say he (Buhari) is corrupt directly because I don’t have evidence
of that yet. This fight is not against Malami, it is against Buhari.
Malami is small potatoes because the evidence against him is clear. It
is for Buhari to act. Failure to act means he is corrupt by omission,
period.
Whether Malami goes anywhere and calls
me whatever he wants to …unnhummm…I agree, no problem. If that is your
only explanation. That means you are saying that the traced funds came
from an ex-convit albeit this is the same person you were romancing and
all of a sudden after your corrupt practices you are now seeing….. There
is another issue I have not opened up to the press, I have texts and
emails…..Malami is going down. When you take a “charge and bail” lawyer
from Kano and make an AGF and give siren and everything he starts
misbehaving. That is the issue here
Who is Malami. For Malami to say that a
private company will recover….I want Nigerians to take him up on that
not even lawyers. Common Nigerians. If your own account, they want to
recover money in it, it is a law enforcement agency whether EFCC, ICPC
or the Nigerian Police that will go the Magistrate, get the order what
they call Bankers order and put a freeze on it Panic Alert cannot do
that. I made a proverb in my letter to Buhari and I said Malami’s
explanation is like the proverbial saying you cannot send a man to the
market to buy salt and then send rain to beat him and the salt on his
head and when he comes back you now say where is the salt? You cannot
send me to go and trace, you now say you have put a proviso for me to
recover knowing that I cannot recover. The same way Lamorde tried to
rubbish me and he was sacked. The issue here is performance. In 27 days a
private company traced over $1bn, then the AGF himself with all the
powers he has is refusing to recover instead he is finding excuses not
to recover. Is that not a shame?
35
0
0
35
0
President
Muhammadu Buhari came into power on the campaign of combating
corruption and wiping it out of the Nigerian system. It seems his effort
is being frustrated already from his own camp.
Dr. George Uboh is the managing director
of Panic Alert Security System (PASS) that was engaged by the
Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami to help
Nigeria trace some funds. Dr Uboh speaks with NAIJ.com on how the AGF
together with the banking sector mafia has frustrated his efforts so
far.
NAIJ.com: You and the
Attorney-general of the federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami seems to be
stuck in a blame game as regards the recovery of funds traced by your
company. What exactly is going on?
Dr. Uboh: Thank you
very much. I am Dr Gorge Uboh, the managing director, Panic Alert
Security Systems (PASS) formerly engaged by the federal government of
Nigeria via the Attorney General of the federation, Malami to trace
federal government funds trapped in financial institutions. Malami asked
me to come on board with him to make the ministry to perform well in
the area of assets recovery because I had met Malami before he was
appointed.
He knew what I could do. He knew the
evidence I had against EFCC and other agencies. So it was at that time a
match made in heaven. Now Malami gave me the letter of appointment, the
first one dated February 9, 2016. He then gave me the second letter
dated February 19, 2016. In fact the day I got the second letter
February 19, when I was on my way to the airport.
I had already swung into action. I
went to Dubai, United Kingdom (UK) and stayed in UK for like five to six
days. I was able to trace a little over £23 million regarding a
Nigerian Bank, Oceanic Bank actually. When I came back I started with
the Banks in Nigeria. What struck me was that the main Bank I have
always held to be the most culpable, that is Access Bank…..If you follow
my petition, the allegations against Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC)/ Lamorde when I went to the senate last year. I
alleged that Access Bank expunged four year statement on behalf of EFCC
and Access Bank is warehousing a lot of money that EFCC failed to remit
to the federal government. So, I had my eyes on Access Bank very well.
Access Bank called me to tell me
that whether I had heard from the minister that is Malami. And I asked
them for what and they were like our bosses met with him and he promised
to call you to soft pedal. So that same day I communicated to Malami
via his Personal Assistant (P.A) Nafiu who had always been our conduit,
that I will not tolerate any phone call from Malami regarding any issue
of soft peddling on any of the Banks. Now within 27 days, I was able to
trace in different currencies and Banks approximately N324bn which is
over a billion dollars. And for reasons best known to Malami, I went to
the ministry and there was something very funny going on. On a Thursday,
I think on a 24th or so I went to see Malami and the P.A said I should
wait. He later said I should come back the next day on Friday, which is
on Good-Friday.
When I left the ministry I spent
two hours on the way, I had lunch and I got to the office and saw a
letter of revocation, revoking my engagement. Certainly the letter was
typed as soon as I left or something. But that is not even my gripe. I
have posited that I am not concerned with the revocation. Malami as the
minister enjoys the privilege to appoint and revoke. My gripe is that
the money I have traced Malami must recover in the interest of Nigeria
first, then George Uboh second who is owed money. That is where we are.
Now any excuse and I challenge you to go to him. Any excuse he proffers
can never trump his duty, his oath of office particularly in an
administration that came on board on the mantra of anti-corruption. Over
$1bn traced and we are yet to recover. Malami must be sacked with
immediate effect and that is my position.
NAIJ.com: So, you are saying the AGF is corrupt?
Dr.Uboh: The AGF is
corrupt by inaction or omission at least. The letter I am doing for
Buhari, I am talking about $1bn traced funds and $75bn yet to be traced
because I have a database and I discussed this with Malami. So, Malami
revoking the contract or truncating the whole process is costing Nigeria
over $75bn. I have the records and I gave him what I traced within 27
days with his own frustrations and with the Banks not even cooperating.
Imagine if he had cooperated. That is the problem we have in this
country. That is the same problem we have in this country.. NAIJ.com:
Overall, how would rate the anti-corruption drive of the
present government in the light of the petitions you have written to the
president?
Dr. Uboh: This is my advice and I
believe he didn’t get it because I know that petitions against certain
powerful people are hijacked in the Villa. I wrote to Buhari and said
that while I am convinced you are not corrupt I submit that if you don’t
mete out the requisite punitive measures against your cabinet or rather
people close to you when necessary, you will end up wearing the crown
of corruption by inaction or omission as part of your legacy. Because we
have people close to Buhari that are very corrupt and corruption is not
just taking bribes. It is even in your action or inaction. If people
close to you are corrupt and you have the evidence and refused to do
something you are equally corrupt by inaction. That is my take. I can’t
go and say he (Buhari) is corrupt directly because I don’t have evidence
of that yet. This fight is not against Malami, it is against Buhari.
Malami is small potatoes because the evidence against him is clear. It
is for Buhari to act. Failure to act means he is corrupt by omission,
period.
Whether Malami goes anywhere and calls
me whatever he wants to …unnhummm…I agree, no problem. If that is your
only explanation. That means you are saying that the traced funds came
from an ex-convit albeit this is the same person you were romancing and
all of a sudden after your corrupt practices you are now seeing….. There
is another issue I have not opened up to the press, I have texts and
emails…..Malami is going down. When you take a “charge and bail” lawyer
from Kano and make an AGF and give siren and everything he starts
misbehaving. That is the issue here
Who is Malami. For Malami to say that a
private company will recover….I want Nigerians to take him up on that
not even lawyers. Common Nigerians. If your own account, they want to
recover money in it, it is a law enforcement agency whether EFCC, ICPC
or the Nigerian Police that will go the Magistrate, get the order what
they call Bankers order and put a freeze on it Panic Alert cannot do
that. I made a proverb in my letter to Buhari and I said Malami’s
explanation is like the proverbial saying you cannot send a man to the
market to buy salt and then send rain to beat him and the salt on his
head and when he comes back you now say where is the salt? You cannot
send me to go and trace, you now say you have put a proviso for me to
recover knowing that I cannot recover. The same way Lamorde tried to
rubbish me and he was sacked. The issue here is performance. In 27 days a
private company traced over $1bn, then the AGF himself with all the
powers he has is refusing to recover instead he is finding excuses not
to recover. Is that not a shame?
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