Reps panel says $202m, not $44m still missing at NIA

The actual amount of money missing at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has been put at $202 million and not $44 million as a recent report had claim.

This clarification was made by Mr. Aminu Sani-Jaji, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Safety and National Intelligence on Sunday, explaining that the $44 million earlier reported missing was only moved to a safe location.

The development came following the committee’s investigation of the controversies surrounding the appointment of an acting Director General for the agency, Mr. Ahmed Rufai-Abubakar, by President Muhammadu Buhari.

While a report claimed Rufai-Abubakar failed his promotion examinations, another alleged that he is a citizen of Chad, and some directors in the agency in their petition to the House, asked that the acting NIA boss be removed.

It was based on these allegations and petitions, that the House in a resolution directed the Sani-Jaji panel to investigate Rafai Abubakar.

And speaking to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, Sani-Jaji, revealed that the committee in their probe came to an understand that the actual money missing at the NIA was $202 million.

According to Sani-Jaji, the panel had already taken the testimonies of a former DG of the agency, Mr. Ayo Oke; the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.); and the acting DG, Rufai-Abubakar.

He explained that during the reign of Oke, that the NIA received a total of $289 million as “intervention” funds from the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that $43 million of that sum was part of the money the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) uncovered in Ikoyi in April 2017, while $44 million was moved from the vault of the agency to another location.

What the Reps panel according to Sani-Jaji was not able to get any useful information on was the balance of $202 million from the officials, who made appearances before it at the National Assembly behind closed doors last week.

He said, “We had a meeting too with the NSA. We later discovered from our meeting since last week that the $44 million is not missing. For that one, I can tell you they moved the money from one place to another. We are still investigating.

“If we get 60 to 70 per cent of what we are supposed to get, then we can tell you. But, for now, I will tell you categorically that the money isn’t missing. They only moved it from the agency to another place, pending when all these issues surrounding the agency would be resolved.

“If you remember, this $44 million is part of the $289 million approved for the then DG, Ayo Oke. You know that in April last year, there was the issue of $43 million found in Ikoyi. He tried to say that the $44 million and the $43 million are part of the $289 million.

“But for us, we are still working to see where the remaining $202 million was placed. We only know about the $43 million recovered in Ikoyi and the $44m recovered from their vault.

“In the course of our investigation, we will come up with where the $289 million really is, not the $43 million and not the $44 million but the entire amount…

“Yes, for me it is ($202 million) still missing. The money in question is $289 million, and all what the former DG is trying to say is that the $43 million and the $44 million are part of the $289 million.

“If you subtract $43 million and $44 million, where is the balance? That is why we are where we are today, and that is also why we have to intensify the investigation.”

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Commenting on allegations levelled against the acting DG, Sani-Jaji explained, “One of the issues is that, some are saying he (Rufai-Abubakar) has dual citizenship. But, he said to us categorically that his father is from Katsina State and he (his father) after sometime, decided to migrate from Katsina to Chad.

“His mother is a Nigerian, and his wife too is a Nigerian. He even showed us the approval of the then DG that he was allowed to marry her. I think she is Fadilah by name. She is from Katsina. She did her secondary school in Sandamu, according to the documents supplied to us. He said really he did his primary school in Chad, but he attended secondary school in Nigeria and his first degree was in the Bayero University, Kano.

“Again, we discussed with him and we also saw all the promotion examinations that he went through when he was in service.”

 

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