G7 Provides Buhari With List Of Corrupt Nigerians

STRONG indications have emerged of world power’s resolve to assist the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, in its avowed fight against corruption, by reportedly providing him with unimpeachable pieces of evidence and information about allegedly corrupt Nigerians in public offices and where their alleged funds and questionable property are domiciled abroad.

Nigerian Tribune was told by a close government source that a list of the alleged corrupt Nigerians, including elected public officials, appointed officials and their collaborators in the private sector, was said to have been made available to Buhari while attending the G7 meeting in Germany.

Looted public funds reportedly stashed abroad were said to be included in the package the world leaders reportedly made available to Buhari, with a commission to recover such funds as an encouraging step in getting global assistance on the issues on his “wish list.”

The top government source disclosed that the president was unequivocally told by his hosts that the recovery of the looted funds must be seen to be religiously done by his administration before their home countries and other global bodies could be financially supportive of Nigeria, as well as rendering help in other areas Buhari was seeking their assistance.

The said list reportedly contained names of serving and past governors, past ministers and government contractors, especially in the oil and gas sector.

Apart from banks where the alleged slush funds were domiciled, locations of assets suspected to have been illegally acquired were reportedly listed in the said list, which was said to have been a product of years of painstaking discreet investigation abroad.

A lot of assets allegedly illegally acquired by these public officials were said to have been largely traced to South Africa and Dubai.

An immediate past governor of a state in the South was said to have been linked to a multi-billion Naira property in South-Africa, where four separate huge buildings were allegedly bought by him at a go.

With property being reportedly registered by nationality in another country, a simple search of letter “N” was said to have brought up names of Nigerians with massive property investment.

Those property, according to the source, are now of rock-bottom value, compared to the huge funds invested in them.

It was learnt that in achieving the desire of killing corruption in the country, a total overhaul of the existing anti-corruption bodies would be done for a more effective operation.

The government source noted that though the planned merger of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was almost a certainty, the focus of the operation of the amalgamated body might be a bit different from what it used to be.

According to the source, greater attention might be focused on recovery of looted funds instead of prosecuting and jailing offenders, though the latter would always be a part of the anti-corruption crusade to serve as a deterrent.

Nigerian Tribune was told that a situation where someone would go to jail for a couple of years to return to enjoy the looted funds would not serve the interest of the justice system, adding that all proceeds of crime must be taken off the offenders.

It was further learnt that one major area of corruption that would be focussed was “presumptive” asset declaration, whereby government officials declare assets they don’t have in anticipation of acquiring them illegally while in office.

Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, is reportedly tipped to head the planned management team of the hybrid anti-corruption body.

He had earlier been projected for the Attorney General of the Federation position alongside Chief Niyi Akintola, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu and the immediate past Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, all from the South-West, while Prince Lateef Fagbemi from the North-Central was also said to be interested in the job.

G7 Provides Buhari With List Of Corrupt Nigerians