The Akwa Ibom state former
governor who is currently the Senate
minority leader in the 8th Senate,
Godswill Akpabio, was at abou 5pm
on Friday, October 16, arrested by
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Premium Times
reports. Akpabio He was said to have been
accompanied by a few aides and a
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ricky
Tarfa. However, the former governor’s aide
who is on the basis of anonymity that
the senator is currently being
interrogated by top officials of the
EFCC. A source at the EFCC confirmed the
development of Senator Akpabio’s
arrest. He said: “He was brought in at about
5.20 pm accompanied by a few aides
and Mr. Rickey Tarfa. “It is not yet known whether he will
be allowed to go this night. It depends
on how the interrogation goes.” There had been a petition forwarded
to the ant-graft commission and
President Muhammadu buhari in June
by an Abuja-based lawyer and activist,
Leo Ekpenyong, over an alleged theft
of N108.1billion of Akwa Ibom funds where the senator was a governor. As a result of the petition, the crimes
commission had swung into action to
investigate the matter. According to Premium Times report,
several other indigenes of the state
who have been demanding the
investigation of the former governor,
were invited by the EFCC to adopt their
petitions. The invitation did not exclude
Ekpenyong, the key petitioner as he
too was summoned to adopt his claim. The lawyer disclosed that between
January and December 2014, the ex-
governor colluded with the former
government house permanent
secretary, Etekamba Umoren, and the
former accountant general of the state to steal a whopping N108.1
billion from the state’s treasury. He said in the petition: “Between
January – December 2014, it is on
record that the trio of Godswill
Akpabio, Mr Etekamba Umoren and Mr
Udo Isobara, made illegal but
substantial withdrawals of cash from a designated state government-
owned account with Zenith Bank with
account number: 1010375881
amounting to N22.1 billion. “It is worthy of note that reasons for
such ungodly cash withdrawals against
financial regulations and due process
laws range between sundry use and
unjustifiable expenditures by Godswill
Akpabio and his numerous surrogates and proxies. “For example, a whopping N18 billion
was withdrawn fraudulently from the
state FAAC account with the United
Bank for Africa in trenches of N10
million and above by Mr Isobara in a
surreptitious manner to conceal their dishonest intention.” Ekpenyong accused Umoren of being
rewarded with an appointment as
government house chief of staff and
now secretary to the state government
under Udom Emmanuel’s
administration owing to his assistance in the alleged stealing. The legal luminary also accused the
former governor of several other
fraudulent practices ranging from
another withdrawal of N18 billion to
the acquisition of a multi-billion naira
mansion at Plot 5 Okogosi Spring Close, off Katsina-Ala Crescent,
Maitama-Abuja, a multi-billion naira
mansionette at Plot 28 Colorado Close,
Maitama, Abuja and another multi-
billion naira mansion at 22 Probyn
Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. However, the commissioner of
information during the Akpabio’s
administration, Aniekan Umana,
described the contents of the petition
by Mr. Ekpenyong as falsehood taken
too far. Noting that the petition betrayed a
lack of understanding of the workings
of government, the former
commissioner said: “Every sum
withdrawn from a government
account is tied to a subhead and there must be a budgetary provision. To
attribute fraud to withdrawals which
had the full sanction of government
and was accommodated in the budget
is strange, mischievous and untenable.
More so, when one understands that there are checks and balances which
guide all aspects of government
financial administration.”
https://www.naij.com/607234-breaking-efcc-arrests-senator-akpabio-fraud.html

Arresting only akpabio is a kinda witch hunting..arrest all of them we need fresh people with brains..sometimes watching them on national television is irritating..arrest them all...that's if akpabio himself will not come out tomorrow to deny he was arrested.

kelch19:
Arresting only akpabio is a kinda witch hunting..arrest all of them we need a fresh people with brains..sometimes watching them on national television is irritating..arrest them all...

lol......na small small you cash monkey