$50 million discovered in Ikoyi apartment: pertinent questions
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I have many questions to ask about the millions of dollars discovered in an Ikoyi apartment, but I’m just astonished. Dumb-founded, if I may use that word.
The last I heard is that National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has stepped forward to claim the money, saying it was approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan for a convert operation. The operation is supposedly scattered all over the country.
Now, my first question is, what covert operation was NIA carrying on on home soil? I stand to be corrected, but I think NIA’s scope of operation covers foreign intelligence, while the DSS covers intelligence operations within Nigeria. Let us forget the exact nature of the “covert” operation for now.
My next question is, if it is true the money belongs to NIA and GEJ was aware of it, did GEJ include it in his handover notes to PMB?
A covert operation is, to all intents and purposes, a national security matter. It transcends politics. It is inconceivable that GEJ would overlook to hand over national security matter to Buhari even if he was bitter at losing the last election.
Ok, let us even assume GEJ was so bitter at losing the last election that he deliberately refused to mention the “operation” in his Hanover notes. Now again I ask, did the DG of NIA brief either PMB or the National Security Adviser on the operation on assumption of office? If he did, how come EFCC still went ahead to raid the apartment where the money was kept? And if he did not, then I ask why not? Why did he withhold the information from PMB and NSA? What was his motive?
Finally, is it the usual practice for money meant for covert operations to be kept in private apartments?
I remember that just before he left office, GEJ ordered refund of about N2 trillion unspent election fund from his party men and women. I’m not aware that money was ever refunded. Could this money be part of it?
I think the boss of NIA has more to us about this money and the exact nature of the so-called covert operation it was meant for.
Whatever the case may be, this bizarre episode proves once again that Nigeria has been serially raped. Nothing short of full disclosure and a convincing closure to this case would be good enough for me.
