Sahara Reporters
A top official of the anti-corruption agency, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has allegedly been interfering with the investigation into the recovery of cash, vehicles and other items from the Abuja property of Lt. Col. Tukur Buratai (retd.), a former Army chief, being used by a proxy.
SaharaReporters on Sunday learnt that the senior official, identified as Tunji Jabaru, an Assistant Director in the ICPC, did not allow full disclosure to be made regarding the cash and other things worth billions of Naira recovered from the property.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the ICPC appeared to be doing the bidding of the former Chief of Army Staff, Buratai, as the agency gave inconsistent figures of the amounts it found in the recovery of cash, vehicles and other items from the building being used by someone fronting for the army chief.
SaharaReporters learnt that while the ICPC granted bail to the military contractor fronting for Buratai, claiming that N30 million was found in the apartment, the agency later said in an official release that N175 million was recovered.
Buratai, a retired Lieutenant General was the COAS between 2015 and 2021.
“It was alleged that one Tunji Jabaru, Assistant Director, ICPC interferes with investigation and didn’t allow full disclosures to be made earlier,” a source told SaharaReporters on Sunday.
“He went for the raid even though he was not supposed to be there,” another source noted.
The property was recently busted by ICPC officials in the Wuse area of Abuja where cash meant to buy arms for the war against terror, vehicles and other items were recovered.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that a second box which had just been opened contained
$170,0000, £85,000 and €54,000.
The newspaper exclusively reported on Saturday that two boxes were found in the building but ICPC officials were only able to open one. The officials were unable to open the second box at the time of filing the report.
“They did not submit the money to the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) but kept it in the facility, trying to move the money. Two boxes were found but they (the ICPC) can’t open the second one still,” a source had told SaharaReporters.
On Sunday, SaharaReporters learnt $170,0000 (N103,700,000 at the parallel market rate of N610 to $1), £85,000 (N64,600,000 at the parallel market rate of N760 to 1£) and €54,000 (N34,020,000 at the parallel market rate of N630 to 1€) in cash were found in the second box.
This amounts to N202, 320, 000.
Azuka Ogugua, the spokesperson for the commission, had disclosed on Friday how the apartment was raided but did not give the details of Buratai’s links to the recovery.
Buratai, despite denials by his lawyer and other faceless individuals, already admitted to a newspaper that the property was his and no search warrant was obtained before it was raided.
One of the sources further revealed that the ICPC figures of recovery had discrepancies all in a bid to cover up for Buratai who is at the heart of the massive corruption unfolding.
One of the sources had said, “Buratai spoke to People’s Gazette saying ICPC had no search warrant contrary to denials by his lawyer that the property was not his.
“ICPC granted administrative bail to Buratai’s front claiming that they only found N30 million. They then issued a statement claiming they found N175 million.”
“This is not the first time Buratai would be involved in such a massive scandal. Buratai’s first issue was with a businessman who fronted for him in Ka…
