The Network Against Corruption and Trafficking, NACAT, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, over alleged monumental corruption by the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, his family and government officials.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel, through his spokesman, Stephen Abia, has told Arogidigba Global Journal that the allegations levelled against him by NACAT are mere blackmail which, according to him, do not hold water.
In the petition made available to Arogidigba Global Journal, NACAT accused the former governor of diversion of over N1.5 trillion, money laundering and looting.
NACAT said what happened under the administration of Emmanuel will make Nigerians weep for the future of the country.
The group said it had painstakingly investigated and audited many of the financial records of the state and detailed its findings at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
Parts of the petition signed by Fejiro Oliver Tega Oghenedoro, Executive Director, Investigation, Stanley Ugabe, Operations Manager, Michael Ekpo, For Akwa Ibomites, and Victor Thompson, read, “The diversion of funds and primitive massive acquisition of properties by Emmanuel and his family members is enough to make him, family and cronies jailed.
“Despite the over N3 trillion that came into the Akwa Ibom State coffers under the 8 years tenure of Udom, a staggering sum of N700 billion that cannot be accounted for was diverted by him, borrowed over 500 billion yet left abandoned projects across the state,” it added.
“We can tell you authoritatively using Udom as a case study that these so-called security votes were truly never given to our brave security operatives, but just used as mere pawns to loot the state.
“We will be giving you few examples of such using 2018. We will be submitting other years from 2015 to the EFCC.”
Speaking to Arogidigba Global Journal on Wednesday in reaction to NACAT’s petition, Abia said, “His Excellency, the former governor is a man of high integrity, this is a man who governed the state, and the things the state enjoyed, you know, can cannot be talked about.
“He came in at a time where there was serious unrest, serious security threats and so on. And then he came up with some strategies, and then cleared it.
“They’ve got all the areas to enjoy this or that and so on. So the people here like him. They love him, they respect him and there have been no issues of non accountability or whatever. This is just a cheap blackmail. So there’s no cost for alarm.
“The faceless group, we are even yet to So identify them. So let’s see, just as you have seen online, we have also seen that online too. That is how it is just a mere stuff, and that is all and nothing more than that.
“The petitions submitted to the EFCC and ICPC doesn’t bother the former governor at all. They’ll amount to nothing because the Governor is clean and is a man of high integrity.”