Reps summon Malami, Emefiele, Ahmed, MDAs, over looted assets

THE House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to appear before it today to explain the status of looted funds and public assets recovered in the last 18 years.

Also invited to appear before the House Ad Hoc Committee on Assessment and Status of All Recovered Loot, Movable and Immovable Assets, are ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government as well as top officials, the private sector, and civil society organisations.

A statement from the Committee signed by its chairman, Adejoro Adeogun yesterday, mandated the ministers and all other invitees to appear before it on Monday (today), “being the day the panel is holding an investigative hearing on the recovered assets.”

According to the statement, the investigation will cover the period 2002 to 2020.

“The Committee is calling for memoranda from stakeholders and the general public pursuant to Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)”, the statement added.

The essence of the hearing, according to Adeogun, is to ensure effective and efficient management and utilization of the recovered assets.

Stakeholders invited by the Committee to make inputs include the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption; Commercial Banks; Association of Bureau de Change Operators of Nigeria; Chairman of the Disbanded Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property and Chairman of the Disbanded Pension Reform Task Team.

Others are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Navy, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Central Bank of Nigeria; Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority; Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption; and commercial banks.