Sign Of Millitary Rule as FG freezes Jonathan’s associates’ accounts

Firstclass newsline gathered that the anti-corruption campaign of the
President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration appears to have taken a
bigger bite as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has
secretly frozen the bank accounts of former President Goodluck
Jonathan's associates.
Firstclass newsline learnt that the move by the anti-graft agency was
aimed at scuttling the tranfer of the alleged looted funds from the
accounts for other reasons.
A member of a key transition committee of the All Progressives
Congress, who spoke to a source on condition of anonymity, on Friday,
said the need had become necessary in view of the magnitude of the
alleged theft of public resources by the affected persons.
The APC chieftain spoke on the heels of the condemnation of President
Buhari's ongoing probe of the last administration of the Peoples
Democratic Party and recovery of funds looted by public officials.
The affected accounts,firstclass newsline learnt, belonged to
Keketobou Foundation, owned by former Special Adviser to Jonathan on
Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme, Mr. Kingsley
Kuku, and Mieka Divers Limited as well as Global West Vessels Limited
reportedly owned by ex-Niger Delta warlord, Mr. Government Ekpompolo,
aka Tompolo.
Further investigations by our correspondents also showed that one of
Jonathan's close allies, Mr. Kime Engozi's accounts had also been
flagged.
Engozi is the contractor handling the N30bn Maritime University
contract at Okerenkoko in the Gbaramatu area of Delta State.
Besides, funds already approved for the commencement of the university
are said to have remained frozen in a Yenagoa branch of the United
Bank for Africa Plc.
The NIMASA Technical College at Okoloba, also in Delta State, is also
said to be facing an uncertain future as there are fears that the
institution might be scrapped.
Accounts linked to the former Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Patrick
Akpobolokemi, are also said to have been frozen by the EFCC.
The source, who is now in the Presidency, said although he could not
confirm if Jonathan's recent meeting with Buhari discussed the issue,
the action to 'flag' the said accounts might have been for security
reasons.
The source also said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party was
ignorant of the workings of the Federal Government, especially on
security.
The source added, "This is not a matter of lobby or any politics that
should be shoved aside; what is at stake is the nation's security and
nothing more.
"When the PDP says the current anti-corruption drive is selective, we
continue to laugh at them because they do not seem to know what is at
stake at all. If only they know, all the noise they have been making
won't be made at all.
"How many of these PDP elements know that just one individual
benefitted from a single NIMASA transaction to the tune of N13bn, not
to talk of about $57m he was said to have benefitted from
controversial contract deals?
"Are these the things they ask us to sweep under the carpet?
Certainly, we cannot because apart from the angle of the impunity and
financial recklessness, does it make any sense if any responsible
government allows such individuals, who had threatened war in the
event that Jonathan did not win to have such huge sums in bank vaults?
Such accounts must be flagged, of course."
However, the PDP has asked President Buhari to follow the rule of law
in his government's determination to fight corruption.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in an
interview with one of our correspondents on Saturday night, asked the
President not to spare anyone, including his friends and members of
the ruling APC in the crusade.
Metuh said, "We are not against the war against corruption, but what
we are saying is that the President must follow the rule of law.
"The law says every accused person is innocent until proven otherwise.
Then, the President must also look at his party; he shouldn't spare
his friends.
"If any of our members is found to be corrupt, let them face the law
of the land. But no one should be tagged as being corrupt when the
court has not said so."
He also asked the President to fund the anti-corruption agencies
adequately, while saying that the agencies should also conduct what he
described as "water-tight investigations" before rushing to the court.
Repeated calls to the mobile telephone set of the National Publicity
Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, were neither picked nor
returned.
Also he had yet to reply a text message sent to him at 8.52pm, asking
for his comments on charges that the APC-led administration was
hounding members of the opposition PDP and associates of Jonathan, as
of the time of filing this report.
Tompolo is not under any investigations by the EFCC, but Kuku has a
date to keep with the anti-graft agency in September, having gone for
a knee surgery in the United States of America in July, while the
former NIMASA boss has been under investigation for over month.
However, Akpobolokemi's interaction with the EFCC has been linked to
business deals by him while he held sway at NIMASA and the ex-warlord.
Firstclass newsline also learnt that EFCC's seizure of Akpobolokemi's
international passport and a N38m worth bullet-proof Toyota
Landcruiser was already heightening speculations that he might be
prosecuted if findings by the investigators indict him.
At least three close aides and confidants of the ex-NIMASA boss,
including the current Executive Director in charge of Maritime Safety
and Shipping Development, Mr. Ezekiel Bala Agaba, have been guests of
the EFCC in the last ten days.
Firstclassnewsline.net