There are indications that the whistle-blower, whohelped the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recover the sum of $43m, N23.2m and £27,800 (altogether being about N13billion) from an Ikoyi apartment on April 12, 2017, has finally been paid his commission.
Government officials have in the last 8 months come up with different reasons for the delay in paying the whistle-blower therefore casting a doubt on the genuineness of the government’s commitment to its ownwhistle-blowing policy.
The whistle-blower’s lawyer, Mr Yakubu Galadimaon Wednesday told newsmen that the whistle-blower had been paid the sum of N421m as part-payment for exposing the location of the cash.
Galadima added that the whistle-blower leftthe country within 24 hours of receiving his commission.
While praising the government for finally honouring its agreement after 8 months, the whistle-blower’s lawyer joked that his client did not run mad after receiving the money as predicted by some government officials.
The lawyer added that the federal government had promised to pay the whistle-blower the balance next year.
“He has been paid the first instalment but there were many tax deductions.
Yes, we are happy. I will give you more details later but I can confirm now that he has received some money.
“As you can see, my client did not run mad as predicted by Prof. Itse Sagay.”Galadima equally stressed that the federal government’s decision to pay his client was evidence that his client was the real whistle-blower out of the others that had been laying claim to the money.
At least three persons have laid claim to the commission including one Abdulmumumuni Musa, who has sued the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of the Federation.
The money, which was recovered from Flat 7B, Osborne Towers, Ikoyi,led to the suspension and eventual sacking of the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayo Oke.
The money was said to have been part of the$289,202,382 the NIA received from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in February 2015.
The transaction was purportedly approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan through the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
According tothe Punch, no one has presently been prosecuted over the cash discovery.
TheEFCC however recently made attempts to arrest Okebut was resisted by agents from the Department of State Security (DSS).
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