FG mute on Ikoyi $43m, shifts attention to how looters bury stolen funds in cemeteries, forests
Not up to one week after the Ikoyi House $43 million dollar recovery by the anti graft agency, latest strategy used by looters of public funds has emerged.
But in a statement on Sunday, the Federal Government smartly shielded comments away from the trending puzzle of who owns the cash, and diverted attention by informing Nigerians that anti corruption agencies including Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and others have been receiving startling whistles on how looters have resorted to burying stolen funds in their backyards, deep forests and burial grounds.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who opened up on this said the whistle blower policy is working and has led to the recovery of more looted funds in many currencies.
While insisting that all the recovered looted funds were safe and government will give full account to Nigerians, the Minister thanked Nigerians for their enthusiasm and commitment in helping the government with useful information tailored to recovery of public funds.
According to the statement, “Since we launched the whistle blower policy, we have received immeasurable support from Nigerians.
“Yes, there is monetary reward for any information that leads to recovery of looted funds, but from what we have seen, most of the Nigerians who have come forward with useful leads were driven by patriotism rather than reward.
”Nigerians, fired by a fervid resolve to help banish corruption from their country, have daily inundated the offices of the appropriate government agencies with valuable information.
“We have been told how looters have resorted to burying stolen funds in their backyards, in deep forests and even in burial grounds.
”Thanks to whistle-blowers, it is now clear that a rapacious few have pillaged the nation’s wealth through a vicious orgy of corrupt practices,” he said.
The minister, however, noted that more funds were in the possession of looters than were available to government at all levels to meets its obligations including paying workers’ salaries and providing social amenities.
He stressed that the government will not abandon the policy for whatever reason, but will continue to rejig it and make it more effective as a tool for fighting corruption.
The minister assured that as soon as the necessary reconciliation process and the litigation in some of the cases were concluded, government would give full account of the recovered looted funds to Nigerians.
Mohammed who maintained strange silence on claims and counter claims hovering over the recovered Ikoyi House money re-assured prospective whistle blowers of not only protection, but instant payment of due percentage on conclusion of recovery process.
