carries no weight until the Federal Government comes clean on the identity
of Nigerians aboard the plane carrying the $9.3 million dollars impounded
by the South African Government.
The Leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujaheed
Dokubo-Asari, had distanced himself from the $9.3 million botched arms
deal in South Africa, saying he had not been to the country since 2002
But in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by its National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said its reaction followed a
story published by www.africaneagle.com and www.nairaland.com saying Asari
Dokubo was one of the Nigerians aboard the jet that carried the money to
South Africa.
”To the best of our knowledge, that report has not been denied over 24
hours later. We therefore contend that Asari Dokubo’s denial of his
involvement carries no weight until the government, which has claimed
ownership of the funds, tells Nigerians who the two Nigerian citizens- who
were in the plane with an Israeli – are.
”We have no business with Asari Dokubo. He can blab all he likes. We have
no reason to disbelieve a widely-circulated published report that named
him as one of those on the plane. If he now says he was not on the plane,
let the government come out and tell Nigerians who and who were on it, it
said.
APC wondered why the government has refused, for over three weeks now, to
identify the Nigerians who flew on the plane that ferried the money
to South Africa, especially after the Israeli who was also on the plane
has been named.
”Identifying the Nigerians will help to unravel the circumstances
surrounding the whole scandal. It will be interesting to know if the
Nigerians are security officials, officials from the office of the NSA who
issued the end-user certificate for the transaction or ordinary Nigerians.
It will be interesting to know their relationship with the government that
qualified them to fly such a huge amount of money to another country
without declaring it. It will be interesting to know if they are arms
contractors.
”We hope the Jonathan Administration will end its deafening silence on the
issue immediately and come clean on the whole scandal,” the party said.
Asari in a telephone interview with journalists from Saudi Arabia where
he is presently performing the 2014 Hajj, said the last time he visited
South Africa was in the 2002 and could not have gone to any country
without a visa.
He said, “Can you enter any country without a visa? No person can enter
any country without a visa. Presently, I am in Saudi Arabia performing my
Hajj as the Amirul Hajj of Bayelsa State and this can be confirmed. I flew
Flynass from Kaduna on the 27th. So, it is really a shame that Lai
Mohammed who has defiled the name of Allah has become a pathological and
award-winning liar.
“Nobody enters any country without a visa and I have not been to South
Africa since 2002. My passport is present. I flew Arik airline from Lagos
on the 27th and went to Kaduna where I flew Flynass airline and came to
Saudi Arabia.
“APC has reduced itself to a party of liars just the same way their
presidential candidate, notorious liar and confirmed dictator, General
Buhari, stage managed an assassination in order to gain cheap popularity
and where more than 100 people were killed and he has not been put on
trial. The evil they wish me will be visited on their home.”