Fear has gripped some ministers, who served in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration following the last weekend arrest of former minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke by the Metropolitan Police .
The fear in their camp is strengthened by the revelation that anti-corruption agencies are actively collaborating with their counterparts in London and developed countries in probing key officials and ministers of the past administration.Only last weekend, the British National Crime Agency was said to have sent a team of detectives to work with operatives of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe Alison-Madueke.
The disclosure came hours after the anti-graft body sealed the Abuja residence of the former minister.Last night, the Presidency announced it was collaborating with the British Government on Diezani’s case. A statement from Presidential aide, Garba Shehu reads: “The government is aware of the arrest and all the government investigative agencies are working very closely with the British law enforcement…Nobody wants to give the impression that this government is frivolous and unserious.
“For this reason, government is only confirming active collaboration. Beyond this, we are not saying more. In due course, Nigerians will be briefed on updates as appropriate.”A source at the EFCC disclosed that though the body and its foreign collaborators would dig in to get to the bottom of the alleged sleaze involving Alison Madueke , the probe would not be limited to only her ministry.
The source said all top officials of Jonathan's administration would be made to answer questions regarding what he called “mounting allegations” against them.He named key agencies and government officials that the searchlight would be beamed on to include former minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
In his Independence anniversary message, President Muhammadu Buhari said he has ordered a complete audit of the finances of NNPC, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other revenue-generating agencies. Lending credence to claims that fears have gripped the camp of Jonathan’s ministers, a former minister in the administration told Daily Sun that they had been getting feelers about the incumbent administration coming after them.
“We know they are on our trail; all we are asking for is that the government must be sincere in the investigation. They should not accuse us falsely,” he said . He also disclosed how staff of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) told him how operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) got information regarding former government officials, who registered companies with fictitious and non -existent names and used such companies to award contracts to themselves and in the process, fleeced the country of billions of Naira .
“We know they are after us. We only want them to be fair to all of us. Some of us are afraid, not because we did what they are alleging we did but, because, we are not sure they will approach the investigation with an open mind and sincerity of purpose,” the former government official said.
Well done Mr President!
Source -Sun News online
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