Former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Andrew Yakubu claims that the huge amount of dollars and Pound sterling recovered from his house in Kaduna by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were gifts.
EFCC’s Public Relations Officer, Wilson Uwajuren, made this known in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.
Acting Chairman of the anti-corruption body, Ibrahim Magu had told the House of Representatives Committee on financial crimes on Thursday that operatives of the commission recovered $9.8 million and £74, 000 at a house owned by the former NNPC boss in Kaduna State.
Throwing more light on the operation, Uwajuren stated that the search was conducted on February 3 and the money was found in a hidden fire-proof safe.
“A special operation conducted by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on 3rd February, 2017 on a building belonging to a former group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Andrew Yakubu in Kaduna yielded the recovery of a staggering sum of $9,772,800 and another sum of £74,000 cash,” the EFCC spokesman stated.
He added that the raid of the facility was following intelligence reports received “about suspected proceeds of crime believed to be hidden in the slums of Sabon Tasha area of Kaduna”.
“On arrival at the facility, the caretaker of the house, one Bitrus Yakubu, a younger brother to Andrew Yakubu, disclosed that both the house and the safe where the money was found belong to his brother, Andrew Yakubu,” Uwajuren noted.
“When the safe was opened it was discovered that it contained the sum of $9,772,800 (Nine Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand, Eight Hundred United States Dollars) and another sum of £74,000 (Seventy Four Thousand Pound Sterling).”
According to the Statement, the ex-NNPC GMD showed up five days later “on February 8”, at the EFCC Zonal office in Kano where he made statements admitting ownership of the recovered money, “claiming it was gift from unnamed persons.”
“He is currently assisting the investigation” Uwajuren stated.
Yakubu was appointed NNPC GMD by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012, and was replaced in 2014 by Joseph Dawha.