Nyako Blasts EFCC, Jonathan For DeclaringHim Wanted

The embattled former Governor of Adamawa State,
Murtala Nyako, on Wednesday blasted the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
[EFCC] for declaring him and his son wanted.
He described the anti-graft agency's latest ambush
on him as the last kicks of a dying horse, saying
President Goodluck Jonathan, will soon be kicked
out of office.
Mr. Nyako who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES through
his media assistant, Ahmed Sajoh, also noted that
the Jonathan administration is intimidated by the
soaring support he (Nyako) has continued to get
even after he left office.
"I am not aware of being declared wanted. But that
is good," Mr. Nyako said.
"If you are wanted by a rouge system, it means
you are a good person. Has this government gone
after anybody that is bad? They only run after the
good people and allow the bad people to roam
around them, live happily and enjoy whatever bad
things they are doing."
Mr. Nyako said he is not surprised at the latest
action of the EFCC and noted that many more
Nigerians will be declared wanted by the
government.
He argued that the government is being intimidated
by the mammoth crowd that turned out for the All
Progressives Congress, APC, rally in Yola, the
Adamawa State capital.
According to him, the Jonathan government is
afraid that even when he (Nyako) was no longer in
office, the people of Adamawa State still love and
support him.
He drew attention to how the crowd went wild with
dancing when one of the songs eulogising the
former governor was played at the APC rally in
Yola, saying no amount of blackmail can stop the
people from loving Mr. Nyako.
"When the time comes for them to be declared
wanted nobody will sympathise with them," he
concluded.
The former Adamawa governor was earlier declared
wanted by the EFCC. Also wanted by the anti graft
body is the son of the ex-governor, Abdul Aziz
Murtala Nyako, a retired Naval officer.
Both are wanted in a case of criminal conspiracy,
stealing, abuse of office and money laundering.
The EFCC had in June 2014, shortly before the
former governor was impeached, frozen the bank
accounts belonging to Adamawa in what it then
called a precautionary measure to safeguard the
state treasury amidst evidence of looting
uncovered by its operatives.
The commission had alleged massive looting of the
treasury by top officials of Adamawa State
government under Mr. Nyako, a development that,
at the time, led to the arrest and questioning of key
officials, including then Secretary to the State
Government, the then State Commissioner for
Finance, the then Commissioner for Higher
Education, the then Accountant General of the State
and the then Permanent Secretary, Ministry for
Local Government.
The EFCC said at the time that its investigation was
triggered by petitions alleging massive looting of
the treasury by the governor and his cronies
through an illegal department called Special
Programme and Project Units, SPPU, which
engaged in over invoicing and inflation of contract.
"In the course of investigation, a critical analysis of
the Joint State/Local Government account reveals
massive cash withdrawals," a source at the
commission said.
The EFCC official accused the then Permanent
Secretary of Local Governments of making cash
withdrawals of over N2 billion in 181 different
transactions, scattered in tranches of N3 million,
N4 million, N8 million and N9 million per
transaction from the State/Local Government
account domiciled with First Bank between 29th of
August 2011 and 2012.
He also allegedly made similar cash withdrawals
amounting to over N500 million between March 6,
2008, and March 4, 2011, from another Joint
account domiciled in Keystone Bank, the source
added.
"Other officials of the ministry who allegedly looted
the Joint Account include Justina Jari, a Principal
Accountant with the ministry who made cash
withdrawals to the tune of N600 million from the
Joint Account between October, 2009 and
February, 2011.
"Another staff of the ministry, Abdulhakeem
Mohammed was also alleged to have withdrawn
about N3 billion from the account between
February 2007 and May 2011. Two other staff,
Mercy Wanje and Jumai Salihu were also said to
have made withdrawals of N1 billion and N160
million from the account respectively," the source
said.
"On a single day, another staff called Haruna
Hamali, a principal store officer made a cash
withdrawal of over N70 million from the same
account," he said.
"The withdrawals were made and the money
returned to top officials of the state government as
narrated and confirmed by the officials who made
the withdrawals.
"The state officials were arrested in connection
with the withdrawals and other ongoing
investigations," the source said at the time. -
culled from premium times
The question is simple - Are they guilty of what
EFCC wants them for or not?
Is there any government official that can come to
equity with clean hands?