The Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, has said
that the 4.2 million pounds Ibori loot has not been returned to Delta State,
contrary to his earlier claim.
Mr
Idris had on Tuesday told federal lawmakers in Abuja that the money, returned
to the Nigerian government by the UK government, had been returned to Delta
State from where it was stolen by James Ibori, former Delta governor.
However,
the Delta State Government said on Wednesday that it has yet to receive the
money.
In a
late Wednesday statement, the Office of the Accountant General of the
Federation (OAGF) clarified its position, saying,
“The
issue of the £4.2m Ibori Loot has not been properly resolved.”
The
OAGF’s director of Information, Press and Public Relations, Henshaw Ogubike, in
the statement, said the money “is still being awaited, after which the issues
around it will be resolved before further action is taken.”
“For now, no money has been returned to Delta State,” he said.
This
explanation, he said, is without prejudice to the proceedings at the House of
Representatives during which Mr Idris “was only making general comments about
recoveries relating to State Governments.”
PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Idris
said Tuesday that the money
had been returned to the Delta State Government. He also said such recovered
monies, stolen from states, are returned to the appropriate states.
The 4.2 million pounds was stolen by former Delta governor James
Ibori and lodged in UK accounts. Mr Ibori was convicted in the UK for money
laundering and has served his term. He is back in Nigeria where he is actively
involved in the politics of the Delta State as a godfather.
The
stolen money was recently returned to the Nigerian government by the UK
government which seized it from the former governor.
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