I have just read, with some amusement, the
position of the Federal Government regarding the cash totaling $9.3million that was seized by the South African authorities as an attempt was made to smuggle it into that country.

From my little understanding, the Federal Government’s
position can be summarised as follows:


•That it is aware of the movement of such large
sum of money by cash out of the country.
That the cash is meant for the purchase of arms
to fight insurgency.


•That the transaction was done by cash to ensure
the speed of the transaction.
That it resorted to buy from South Africa because
of procedural bottlenecks in the purchase of such
items from western countries.

The above position of the Federal Government is
not only ludicrous, it is laughable, untenable and
a story only fit to be told to the marines. The
following rhetoric posers are germane to this
issue:

Is it really faster and safer to do an international
transaction of such magnitude by ferrying cash
across the continent or by a simple wire transfer
that can go through in a matter of few minutes or few hours?


If, indeed, the matter involves security issues like
the purchase of arms by a foreign government
like Nigeria, why was the South African
Government not brought into the picture
beforehand? How could the South African
Government be sure that the arms were
purchased legitimately by the Nigerian
government and not by insurgents if they were
not officially informed beforehand?


If indeed the manufacturer(s) of such equipment
was/were expecting such large amount by cash,
why did they not make adequate arrangements
with the authorities in South Africa to declare and clear the cash on arrival?


Why was money belonging to the Federal
Government and meant for purchase of
equipment for the Federal Government moved by a private jet and by private individuals and why were they not accompanied by the officials of the Department of State Services or the office of the National Security Adviser in official capacities?


Why would a government that is at the peak of
promoting the cashless policy in our economy be
the chief breaker of that policy by moving such a
large amount by cash?


If, indeed, it was a legitimate transaction of the
Federal Government, why were the officials of our embassy in South Africa not on hand to make the entry easier and smoother?


Since the South African Government has said the
amount is above the limit of cash allowed into
that country, why would a whole government like
Nigeria not know the simple immigration laws of a sister and friendly country before allowing that
type of amount of cash to be taken to that
country?



Why would the Nigerian government seek to
smuggle cash into a country without disclosure if
it was, indeed, for a legitimate transaction?

From where did the Federal Government source
that amount in Nigeria? Was it from the Central
Bank of Nigeria or from the black market?

Nigerians demand answers to this with proof.
Is it just a wicked coincidence that it is the aircraft belonging to a personal friend and unapologetically of the President in the person of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor (my big brother in Warri), that was used to smuggle the cash?


If, contrary to the above posers, the transaction
was contracted out to a private company in
Nigeria, does it not amount to the offence of
Money Laundering under our laws for the Federal Government to have allowed that company to attempt to pay for the equipment by cash to the tune of that amount without passing through a financial institution?


The truth is, any transaction the world over that is done by cash, in a huge volume like this and in
this manner can only point to one thing: It is an
illegal transaction or a transaction for an illegal
purpose that is meant to be untraceable. This was a covert, illegal operation that went horribly
wrong. The position of the Federal Government is a cock-and-bull story meant to be shoved down the throat of Nigerians, but some of us are not fools.


The hard fact we must all accept now is that
billions of our hard-earned monies are being
smuggled out of the country on a regular basis
under the guise of security matters and with the
active connivance of security agencies. Little
wonder, then, that the insurgency, rather than
waning, is gathering momentum because certain
persons, somewhere, are feeding fat on the
situation whilst innocent lives and limbs are being wasted.
May God help us all.
Thank you.
FESTUS KEYAMO, ESQ.
SOURCE:
FESTUS KEYAMO

wirinet: If this kind of thing happens in any other country in the world, the irresponsible government would be history by now, with all involved facing jail time.

lokito: @OP, @Me, @concerned citizenry,

Just leave the criminal politicians. If God show you a little MP4 of their destruction, you'll not want to be like them. Vanity

The hard fact we must all accept now is that
billions of our hard-earned monies are being
smuggled out of the country on a regular basis
under the guise of security matters and with the
active connivance of security agencies.

Pataki: These are the critical questions every sensible and right thinking Nigerians should be asking.

I have said it, Jonathan will end up in Kirikiri Prison if he luckily survives after 2015 elections.

Our President and his allies are certified CRIMINALS! Pastor OLEJAFOCK used to be a certified ARMED ROBBER on the streets of Warri and Lagos.