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By Bayo Davids
FG told to recover $460 million laundered to Cayman Island by Mohammed Abacha, Chagoury
A foremost civil society organization, the Niger Delta Peace Vanguard, has called on the Federal Government to immediately recover a whooping some of $460 million allegedly laundered to Cayman Island by family of late dictator, Sanni Abacha and their accomplice, the Chagoury family.
The Niger Delta group in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the quartet of Dr. Boma Princewill, Comrade Preye Nimijack, Ms Queenet Morgan and Hon Festus Zifawei, which Pointblanknews.com has a copy warned that the Abacha family does not own Nigeria.
According to the statement, “We invite President Bola Tinubu to immediately take decisive action to recover the $460 million USD that was laundered from Nigeria to Switzerland and subsequently to Cayman Island by Mohammed Abacha and his criminal accomplices the Chagoury brothers , the so-called Nigerian born Lebanese.
“This substantial sum remains in a bank account under the name of a Lebanese-Brazilian ex-governor of São Paulo, Mr. Malouf, who has already confessed to Brazilian authorities, that the funds belongs to Mohammed Abacha and Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Nigeria’s current Minister for Budget and Economic Planning). Recovery of these funds would serve as a strong message against corruption while benefiting Nigeria’s economy.
“We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to extend his research and beam his searchlights on Jordan,” adding that “There is hard core cogent and verifiable evidence that substantial portion of the Abacha loot were domiciled in that Middle East County.
“We equally call on Mr. President to without delay commence an investigation on Mr. Mohammed Abacha, as his feeling of being untouchable is now becoming counterproductive to our dear nation. We expect that in no time he should be investigated, tried and sent to jail where he rightfully belongs.”
It further gave the younger Abacha 14 days “from the date of this publication to withdraw the misleading letter he addressed to the Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum, in which he deliberately misrepresented facts and claimed that issues surrounding the Malabu Oil & Gas OML 245 issues remain unresolved. Failure to comply will result in immediate legal action initiated against him for contempt as well as economic sabotage.”
It reads in part, “We take strong exception to Mohammed Abacha’s damaging Nigeria Image, reputation and economy.
“It is imperative to bring to attention the obstructive and detrimental actions of Mohammed Abacha, which are severely hindering the progress of the government.
“His insistence and advertisement of falsehood by making attempts on resurrecting controversial issues surrounding the Malabu Oil and Gas, OML 245 despite numerous legal setbacks spanning over 24 years and involvement the Nigerian government, leadership of Malabu Oil and Gas and other stakeholders which have all been successfully resolved, threatens to derail crucial national advancements.
“By continually filing frivolous and baseless cases, Mohammed Abacha is doing nothing more than creating unnecessary turmoil and casting a shadow on Nigeria’s reputation, and thereby engaging in economic sabotage.”
According to the group, the son of the late maximum ruler has been relentless in filing frivolous lawsuits aimed at creating an impression of unresolved issues relating to the Malabu Oil & Gas OML 245.
“However, because these cases lack merit they were often dismissed because Mohammed Abacha has been unable to establish any legitimate connection with Malabu Oil & Gas or prove his membership on its board. These repeated failures in court expose his motives as obstructive rather than constructive, wasting precious judicial resources, attempting to delaying justice and constituting himself as a clog in the wheel of progress in Nigeria and the petroleum sector
“The Federal Government must take note that Mohammed Abacha is tarnishing Nigeria’s Image by clinging to these defunct legal battles, he is simply contributing to a narrative that portrays Nigeria as a country embroiled in scandal and corruption, and this does not only demarkets Nigeria but also, discouraging potential investors and tarnishing the nation’s international standing.
“Such harmful actions are counter-productive to the administration’s efforts to engender a transparent and economically prosperous Nigeria.
“Unknown to Mohammed Abacha, his greed and relentless pursuit of dubious claims further desecrate the already controversial legacy of his late father, General Sani Abacha. His actions display an alarming lack of respect and seem driven by a selfish desire for wealth rather than national interest.”
That said, the group urged Nigerians to ask Mohammed where he was at the night of his father’s burial in 1998.
“We use this medium to call on well meaning Nigerians to question Mohammed Abacha about his whereabouts on the night of his father’s burial in Kano State.
“It is an open secret that instead of mourning and paying respects to his late father, he reportedly absconded with his security personnel to the Presidential Villa in Abuja to retrieve stashed foreign currencies.
“His apprehension by security operatives was only quelled out of respect for his family during their time of mourning. Such behavior underscores his lack of integrity and respect for national sentiments, and Nigerians should refuse to be further embarrassed by his actions.
“Nigerians deserve to know the whereabouts of Mohammed Abacha’s younger brother, Abba Abacha, so they should as Mohammed Abacha. Abba Abacha has been allegedly convicted of money laundering and other related offences in Switzerland. The Abacha family’s continued involvement in financial scandals has caused enough humiliation for the country, rather than constituting a public nuisance, they should hide their faces in abject contrition.”