The National
Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, has
torn a confessional statement he made to the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, a top operative of the commission has said.
The top officer
of the commission, who confided in one of our correspondents on Tuesday,
alleged that Metuh tore the statement when it was brought to him for his
signature.
The source
alleged that the PDP spokesman tore the statement he had earlier made to shreds
and attempted to put the pieces in his mouth when operatives stopped him.
Metuh was
arrested by the EFCC last week for allegedly receiving N1.4bn meant for the
purchase of arms from a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki
(retd.).
The source said
the interrogators believed that the PDP spokesman destroyed the statement after
realising the gravity of the evidence against him.
The top
operative added that the commission was considering filing additional charges
against Metuh for allegedly destroying a major evidence in the case against
him.
He added that
the action of the PDP spokesman amounted to a wilful damage of government
property.
“The tearing of
statement is tantamount to wilful destruction of government property and it is
a serious offence. Also, the fact that he obstructed operatives from performing
their job is a criminal offence.
“We will explore
the possibility of filing a separate charge against him at the Federal Capital
Territory High Court,” the source said.
Efforts to get
Metuh’s aide, Mr. Richard Ihediwa, to react to this latest development did not
succeed as calls to his mobile telephone indicated that it was switched off.
There was a
report last week that the EFCC was investigating the account of Destra Investment
Limited, owned by Metuh.
According to the
report, the EFCC investigators discovered that Destra Investment Limited was
used to fund the PDP’s activities, including its 2015 campaigns.
The EFCC alleged
that the company, which had N6, 676,576.06 as of November 24, 2014, recorded a
balance of N1.4bn by last December.
Some of the
deposits in the account are N400m from the Office of National Security Adviser
on November 24, 2014; N253m on December 2 and 4, 2014 from Ibrahim Kabiru,
whose identity had yet to be confirmed; N91m on December 2, 2014 from Capital
Field Investment; and N92m on December 3, 2014.
Meanwhile, Metuh
has said he will no longer speak to investigators about the N400m he collected
from former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said rather,
he would only speak in an open court.
Metuh had
admitted before the EFCC operatives that he received N400m from Jonathan, but
refused to disclose what the money was meant for or for what job.
In a statement
by his Special Assistant, Ihediwa, in Abuja on Tuesday, Metuh claimed that he
executed a project for the former President but refused to explain the job he
executed for the ex-President that fetched him the huge sum.
Metuh, who is
said to be on hunger strike, said he would only disclose the job he did for the
defeated former President in an open court.
Ihediwa said,
“In exercise of his rights, he has since given his statement to the EFCC
wherein he submitted that he received the sum of N400m from the former
President for an assignment, which he executed to the satisfaction of the
former President.
“In further
exercise of his rights, Metuh has also indicated his readiness to make public
the nature of this assignment, but only in an open court in line with the laws
of the land, and where his statement would not be distorted by anybody.”
Meanwhile, the
caucus of the PDP in the House of Representatives has demanded the release of
the PDP spokesperson from the custody of the EFCC within 48 hours.
The Minority
Leader of the House, Mr. Leo Ogor, a member of the PDP from Delta State, who
spoke on behalf of the caucus, clarified that the demand did not mean that the
lawmakers were against the anti-corruption war of the Federal Government.
Ogor added, “We
are not in support of corruption or any corrupt person, but due process must be
followed. Metuh has been arrested and kept in detention for nine, almost 10
days, without trial.
“We insist that
he should be taken to a court of competent jurisdiction or granted an
administrative bail as has been done in cases involving other persons.”
The caucus
recalled that like Metuh, former Kaduna State military governor, Brig.-Gen.
Jafaru Isa, a “known associate” of President Muhammadu Buhari, was also detained
by the EFCC for receiving N170m from former National Security Adviser, Sambo
Dasuki.
However, the PDP
observed that in the case of Jafaru, he was granted bail soon after his arrest
by the anti-graft agency.
“Isa Jafaru was
granted bail after the EFCC chairman (Ibrahim Magu) visited Aso Rock. What does
that tell us?” Ogor asked.
The EFCC had
said Isa was granted bail after he refunded N100m from the N170m he collected
from Dasuki.
Ogor added, “If
you make a reference to the refund of money, then we have missed the point. The
point is ‘why keep a man in detention endlessly without trial’? It is not the
duty of the EFCC to direct anybody to refund money. That is the responsibility
of the courts.’’
PDP’s National
Legal Adviser, Mr. Victor Kwon, told one of our correspondents that he was not
at the place where the incident allegedly happened.
Kwon said, “I
wasn’t there and I won’t want to react to hearsay.
“Only those who
were there can confirm or deny whether the incident took place or not.”
Efforts to get
the EFCC’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, to confirm Metuh’s action, had not
succeeded as of the time of sending this report as calls to his mobile
telephone did not connect.
In a related
development, the House of Representatives in its plenary session on Tuesday
debated a bill to amend the EFCC Act 2004.
The bill, which
was sponsored by Mr. Nicholas Ossai, seeks to restructure the commission and
strengthen it.
The bill, among
others, seeks to restructure the composition of the EFCC by introducing various
professional bodies into its operations.
It also seeks to
empower the commission to seize funds held in the bank accounts of individuals,
which the owners could not defend or explain their sources.
A member, Mr.
Zakari Mohammed, said, “We need to professionalise the EFCC so that the agency
can be sound in fighting corruption.”
But members like
Abdulrazak Namdas and Aminu Suleiman expressed fears that introducing “external
bodies” like the Nigerian Bar Association could politicise the operations of
the commission.
“These
professional bodies are themselves political bodies in a way because they have
political affiliations. At the end of the day, they will rather delay the work
of the commission than speeding it up,” Namdas stated.
On his part,
Suleiman said, “Bringing in other organs to be part of the EFCC will politicise
the commission.”
The bill passed
its second reading and was referred to the House Committee on Financial Crimes
by the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara.
Source: The Punch
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