The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday in Abuja, detained the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), Chief Magnus Abe, and the Chief of Staff of state governor, Chief Nyeso Wike.
According to the EFCC, they were detained over allegations of graft running into billions of naira in the office of Governor Rotimi Ameachi.
Confirming the detention, EFCC spokesman Femi Babafemi said two accounts – that of Government House, which runs into billions and the personal account of the Chief of Staff, which runs into hundreds of millions – were being investigated for money laundering.
He said the Commission might invite more officials, especially the state Accountant General and the Commissioner for Finance to shed more light on the issue.
Babafemi said the nature of the investigation was such that it might involve more people, but refused to name those already mentioned so far.
He said the money laundering issue runs into several billions, adding that the scope of the investigation might not be known yet.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ogbonna Nwuke, said while Wike was invited to appear before the Commission to respond to some allegations, Abbe went to offer explanations on behalf of other officials before he was detained.
“It is in line with our policy of running a transparent administration that we want to be the first to inform the people of this development. We do not know where this is coming from though it is likely from political opponents who want to distract this administration. It is politically motivated,” Nwuke said.
He could not offer any explanation on why Abbe who was allegedly not named in the invitation was detained but told THISDAY, “That is the latest development on the issue.”
Wike had been alleged to have operated an account with one of the new generation banks where he allegedly changed a personal account to a government account, where sums said to be running into billions were allegedly lodged and withdrawn.
He was further alleged to have run another account in his name, where funds lodged in the account he first opened as a personal account with a pseudo name and when allegedly discovered, changed it to a government account.
The Media Consultant to the state governor David Iyofor said: “In the original list of the officials invited, Abe’s name was not there. He only went to the EFCC to explain why the Commissioner for Finance and the Accountant General could not honour the invitation of the agency.
“When he got there, he was asked to write a letter of caution and the next thing he knew, he was detained. We are yet to be briefed why he was being detained. As for the Chief of Staff, he got there on his own volition. He was never arrested from Port Harcourt. All we know is that he wrote a statement.”
Governor Amaechi, who had insisted that his administration was running an accountable and transparent administration, said the situation was being orchestrated by detractors of his administration who are miffed that he was no longer sharing the allocations of the state as obtained in previous regimes.
Oct72008