$202m NIA forex scam: Reps, Kingibe meet behind closed door

Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Safety and National Intelligence met behind closed doors with Babagana Kingibe, chairman and members of the Presidential Review Panel on the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) over the alleged $202 million missing forex.

At the last investigation public hearing into the $44 million which was reportedly stolen from the NIA office, barely two weeks after the new NIA Director General resumed office, Sani Jaji, chairman, of the Committee during a media chat disclosed that the money was moved to safe custody.

He however noted that out of total sum of $289 million allocated to NIA by the immediate past administration, the $43 million that was seized by the operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the $44 million could be accounted for, leaving the sum of $202 million yet to be traced.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Kingibe who arrived in company of other members of the NIA panel, stood for a few minutes when the Clerk of the Committee approached him, asking him and his colleagues to take their seats.

But the visibly angry erstwhile Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) declined, saying: “No, I won’t sit down. What is all these, do you people want to make a show of us?”

Despite the persuasion by the Clerk of the Committee who urged him (Kingibe) to see the Committee chairman, Kingibe replied: “No! I won’t go there, you tell him to come.”

In the bid to douse the tension however, Jaji conversed with him for a tete-a-tete outside the hearing room.

After a few minutes of discussion outside, the duo returned to the room with the Committee Chairman wearing a long face.

Having finally agreed to proceed with the investigation, with the chairman, Kingibe declined to accede to the Chairman’s appeal that members of the Panel should introduce themselves.

In a swift reaction, Kingibe said: “All of these men you see here are above 70 years old with a combined age of over 300 years.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman and members of the Committee resolved to conduct the investigate hearing behind closed door.

Speaking on the outcome of the closed door session, the Committee resolved to him invite Ibrahim Magu, acting EFCC Chairman to give more insight to the whereabouts of the missing money.

“We told EFCC earlier when we started this probe that at the appropriate time, we will invite them since it was the agency that uncovered the theft,” Jaji told select Legislative Correspondents who met him after meeting which lasted for over three hours.

 

KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja