Why ONSA Ordered Movement of $44m Belonging to NIA to Safety

As the House of Representatives prepares to beam its searchlight on the $44 million allegedly removed from the vault of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), THISDAY learnt Tuesday that the funds might have been taken into custody by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) for safekeeping.

The $44 million, said to be the leftover of the intervention fund granted the agency by the Goodluck Jonathan administration, came under scrutiny following the suspension of the former Director-General, Ambassador Ayo Oke, last year.
Oke got into trouble when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raided an Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos apartment where another $43.5 million he had kept there was recovered by the anti-graft agency.

Oke had claimed that the money belonged to the NIA and was being used to execute some operations of the agency in the South-west.

Aware of the pressure on the acting DG to spend the money identified to be the leftover of the Ikoyi cash, the ONSA was reported to have instructed the agency to keep the funds intact, arguing that it had become an exhibit that might be needed upon the conclusion of the vice-president’s inquiry.

THISDAY, January 17, 2018

 

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