Skip to main content

I’m ready to return N400m – Metuh

Former National Publicity Secretary, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh
Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja
A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, has said he’s in support of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war.
He said he’s already searching for money to refund to the national treasury, the N400m he was paid by the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan for image laundering.
Metuh is currently undergoing trial for allegedly collecting the money from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sabo Dasuki(retd.).
His prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, has reached advanced stage.
The N400m was said to be part of money meant for the purchase of arms to wage the war against insecurity in the North-East.
Metuh, in a statement issued by his lawyer, Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) in Abuja on Thursday, said he was ready to refund the entire money.
The statement was titled, “Why our client (Chief Olisa Metuh) is offering to refund the N400 million – Counsel.”
Metuh said that his earlier proposal to refund the N400m released to him by former President Jonathan, was because he didn’t know where the money came from.
The statement said, “We want to restate that at the time the money was released to him after his presentation to the ex-President, our client had no knowledge of the source, a fact that is now obvious from the evidence of the prosecution and defence witnesses.
“Our client had every cause to believe that the money was from the ex-President to whom he made presentation, received directives and rendered report and accounts accordingly.
“When the matter first came up and Metuh was invited to the Office of the National Security Adviser in December 2015, he requested to know the source of the money and expressed his readiness to make refunds if it was from government coffers, not minding that the money had been expended as directed by the former President.
“Officials at ONSA never got back to him as they promised, until his arrest by the EFCC in January 2016.”
He said that it was during his prosecution that he got to know the source of the fund.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Abesan Cup enters s’final stage

Last year’s finalists Rozie FC of Aboru will battle Crystal of Ijeshatedo in one of the semi-final matches of the Abesan Cup at the Keda pitch in Ipaja, Lagos, on Saturday, as they aim to emerge champions of the highly-rated grassroots football competition. The second semifinal is between Golden Boys of Iyana Ipaja and debutants Junioru United of Ijegun. Both games would be preceded by a novelty match between  organisers of the event led by its coordinator, TayoAdeyemo and coaches and team managers of participating teams. The novelty match, which started in 2010, is meant to foster a healthy relationship between organisers and team owners. To reach this stage, Golden Boys edged out Global 3-0 in the quarter-final, while United beat defending champions Onigando Football Academy 2-1.
Post a Comment
Read more

Wimbledon: Kerber defeats Halep to make semi-final

AFP Germany’s Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber reached her second Wimbledon semi-final on Tuesday to edge closer to the world number one spot. The fourth-seeded left-hander emerged victorious over Simona Halep, the fifth seed from Romania, 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) and will face either Venus Williams or Yaroslava Shvedova for a place in Saturday’s final. Kerber, who was also a semi-finalist in 2012, is now in sight of becoming the new world number one although she needs to win the title while seeing Serena Williams fail to make the semi-finals.
Post a Comment
Read more

IYC begs Buhari to act on his appeals to end militancy

OVIE OKPARE, WARRI The umbrella body for Ijaw youths, Ijaw Youth Council has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to act on his appeals to Niger Delta militants to halt hostilities by personally kick-starting the dialogue process with stakeholders in the region. A statement signed by the spokesman for the group, Eric Omare, on Sunday, stressed that only a genuine and serious engagement with Niger Delta people would address the recurring agitation from the people. The group which was reacting to recent appeal by the President, urging the rampaging militants to embrace and halt further attacks on oil facilities in the region, said multiplicity of new militant group was not a barrier to achieving peace if the government was sincere. It maintained that for a lasting peace to be achieved in the region, President Buhari must been seen leading such discussion, citing instance of his predecessors rather than sending surrogate to negotiate on his behalf. The IYC statement read, “Th...
Post a Comment
Read more