Looting: FG names Secondus, Metuh, Dokpesi

The Federal Government, on Friday, released names of alleged looters of the country’s treasury, and they were just six persons.

The list includes the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus and the party’s former spokesperson, Olisah Metuh.

The government declared that the country’s treasury was looted by the PDP while in power and the starting point in tendering an apology was for them to return the loot.

But the PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, has vowed that “since the APC has decided to draw this attack, we will no longer hold back but appropriately commence a serialization of all looters hiding in APC and the presidency.”

Others on the list of the alleged looters, according to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who addressed a press conference in Lagos, are chairman of DAAR Communication, Dr Raymond Dokpesi; former Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dudafa Waripamo-Owei and a cousin of former President Jonathan, Robert Azibaola.

The minister said the government decided to release the list because the PDP through the challenge and promised the release of more names soon.

“The PDP has challenged us to name the looters under their watch. They said they did not loot the treasury,” he said.

The minister said all the concerned people took various sums of money from the office of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, noting that the country was looted blind under the watch of the PDP.

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Alhaji Mohammed alleged, for instance, that the PDP National Chairman, Secondus, took a sum of N200 million from the office of then NSA on 19 February, 2015.

He said Metuh was currently on trial for collecting N1.4 billion from the same source, while Dokpesi, also on trial, is being questioned for taking the sum of N2.1 billion from Dasuki.

The minister added that Waripamo-Owei was on trial for over N830 million kept in the accounts of four different companies.

According to him, former President Jonathan’s cousin, Azibaola, was before a Federal High Court on Thursday, saying the court ruled that he had a case to answer for collecting $40 million from the office of the then NSA.

“PDP chairman, Uche Secondus, on the 19th of February, 2015, took N200 million only from the office of then NSA; then PDP Financial Secretary, on the 24th of October, 2014, took N600 million only from the office of the then NSA; the then National Publicity Secretary, Olisah Metuh, on trial for collecting N1.4 billion from the office of then NSA; Dr Raymond Dokpesi, Chairman of DAAR Communication, on trial for taking N2.1 billion from the office of then NSA.

“Former SSA to President Jonathan, Dudafa Waripamo-Owei, on trial over N830 million kept in the accounts of four different companies; former President Jonathan’s cousin, Robert Azibaola, on Thursday, a Federal High Court ruled that he has a case to answer for collecting $40 million from the office of then NSA,” the minister said.

The minister, while saying that the list was just a tip of the iceberg and that the PDP was aware of this, emphasised that “we did not make these cases up. Many of these cases are in court and the records are available.”

While maintaining that all the listed loot took place under the watch of the PDP, Mohammed said this showed the hollowness of the party’s apology to Nigerians.

“This shows the hollowness of their apology to Nigerians. It’s like a robber admitting to stealing your car and apologising, but then saying he will keep the car anyway. It doesn’t work that way.

“The PDP is a hypocrite. And that reminds me of what English writer, William Hazlitt, said: ‘the only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy,’” the minister said.

“We will not stop talking about the massive looting by the PDP. They brought Nigeria to this sorry pass.

“We are now looking around for loans to build infrastructure, and they ask us not to talk about it. We will talk about it,” the minister vowed.