The whistle-blower, who helped the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recover $43m, N23.2m and £27,800 (N13bn) from an Ikoyi apartment on April 12 2017, has finally been paid some of his commission.
They have since left the country less than 24 hours after receiving part of the N421m reward.
The development was confirmed by their lawyer Mr. Yakubu Galadima, according to Punch.
He says: “My client confirmed to me that he had received a credit alert from the Federal Government. He travelled out of the country this morning (Wednesday morning).
“He has been paid the first instalment but there were many tax deductions. Yes, we are happy. I will give you more details later but I can confirm now that he has received some money.
“As you can see, my client did not run mad as predicted by Prof. Itse Sagay,” he jokes.
Recall that the chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay had said that the federal government was hesistating about paying the whistle-blower the money because the government fear they would run mad at the sight of the huge amount of money. At the time, Sagay said the government, instead, had undertaken to counsel the person to enable them be in a better position to manage the reward.
Galadima said the Federal Government’s decision to pay his client was an evidence that his client was the real whistle-blower out of the others that had been laying claim to the money. At least three persons have laid claim to the commission including one Abdulmumumuni Musa, who has sued the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of the Federation.
The National Intelligence Agency had laid claim to the recovered money which has been forfeited permanently to the Federal Government. The money, which was recovered from Flat 7B, Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, led to the suspension and eventual sacking of the Director General of the NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke.
The N13bn recovered from the Osborne Towers was said to have been part of the $289,202,382 the NIA received from the Central Bank of Nigeria in February 2015. The transaction was purportedly approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan through the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
On paper, the transaction was known as an intervention fund for national security or special services with the aim of fighting insurgency during the six weeks period between February 14 and March 28 after the election was postponed. However, the operatives of the EFCC believe that the money was meant to finance the 2015 general elections.
No one has, however, been prosecuted till date.
A version of this story appeared on the Punch website
Nice one from the whistle blower… but it took pressure from the media to make this happen.
can’t we just do the right thing always as a country?…. saddening!!
Besides.. the money was recovered in full, why are you paying him instalmentally…