The LOOTING OF AKWA IBOM STATE:
NIGERIA’S Senate Minority Leader, BASSEY AKPAN faces Ban from entering United Kingdom…as Nigerian authorities request Britain to freeze all bank accounts and assets linked to lawmaker
*Acquires stupendous wealth with taxpayers’ money to fraudulently purchase properties in the UK and other countries
*Served as immediate past finance commissioner in Akwa Ibom during the administration of Godswill Akpabio
*Purchased landed properties in Britain through Barclays Bank of London financed mortgage to the tune of £1million
*Presently under investigation in Nigeria by presidential investigation panel for recovery of public properties on illicit acquisition of assets and money laundering
* “I am writing to bring to the notice of the Home Office Secretary, the fraudulent acts of Mr. Bassey Albert Akpan which include money laundering activities, assets stealing, forgery, tax evasion and extortion. It is kindly requested for the Right Honourable Home Office Secretary to use her powers to issue an Exclusion Decision on Mr. Bassey Albert Akpan from the United Kingdom and its territory pursuant to the Home Office”-Okoi Obono-Obla, chairman of the special, presidential investigation panel for the recovery of public properties
BY RICHARD IYARE/CRIME REPORTER, ABUJA & GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/AMERICAN FOREIGN BUREAU CHIEF
NIGERIA’S Senate Minority Leader, BASSEY AKPAN is surely facing a difficult time at this period. His annual salary as a Nigerian lawmaker has been investigated to be minimal comparable to the staggering sum of wealth he acquired. But detectives as directed by Okoi Obono-Obla, chairman of the special, presidential investigation panel for the recovery of public properties has uncovered and traced the out-of-this-world wealth owned by this embattled lawmaker in the National Assembly traceable to his looting of Akwa Ibom state, where he earlier served as commissioner of finance. Nigerian presidency has asked the British government to ban Senator Bassey Akpan from entering the United Kingdom, UK.
The federal government also requested the UK government to freeze all bank accounts and assets linked to the Akpan said to have been acquired with taxpayers’ money to fraudulently purchase properties in the UK and other countries.
Going by a detailed reports trending on social media, it shows the Nigerian government is visibly enraged with this lawmaker representing Akwa Ibom Northeast senatorial District in the National Assembly since his action obviously contradicts the ‘war-against-corruption mantra’ of President Muhammadu Buhari leadership manifesto.
The 45 year old Senator who was finance commissioner during the administration of Godswill Akpabio may not come near British airport in the nearest future. In a letter by the presidency, addressed to the UK Home Office Secretary, Honourable Amber Rudd, the federal government also requested the UK government to freeze all bank accounts and assets linked to the senator. The presidential panel is alleging that Akpan, while in office as a commissioner of finance in Akwa Ibom state, had between August 7, 2007 and 2014 fraudulently acquired numerous properties scattered within and outside Nigeria.
This letter dated Monday, March 28, signed by Okoi Obono-Obla stated that the move was necessitated by shocking revelations arising from investigations conducted by the panel. The letter stated that Akpan acquired stupendous wealth with taxpayers’ money to fraudulently purchase properties in the UK and other countries around the world. The letter claimed that the senator had acquired a number of landed properties in London, United Kingdom, through Barclays Bank of London financed mortgage to the tune of £1million.
The letter reads: “The circumstances under which Senator Bassey Albert Akpan acquired all these landed properties in the United Kingdom are suspicious taking into account that for the past ten years, he has always been a public officer and his legitimate earnings are far below the worth of the assets he has acquired in the United Kingdom.
“He is therefore by the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) a public officer. He is presently under investigation in Nigeria by this panel for illicit acquisition of assets and money laundering.
“In the light of the foregoing, I am writing to bring to the notice of the Home Office Secretary, the fraudulent acts of Mr. Bassey Albert Akpan which include money laundering activities, assets stealing, forgery, tax evasion and extortion. “It is kindly requested for the Right Honourable Home Office Secretary to use her powers to issue an Exclusion Decision on Mr. Bassey Albert Akpan from the United Kingdom and its territory pursuant to the Home Office. Exclusion from the UK Booklet Version 1.0 page 12 under corruption cited: Tax evasion, Money laundering, Bribery and accepting kickbacks, Extortion, Asset stealing, fraud and match fixing in sport.”
Meanwhile, the government had filed a case against Senator Akpan before Justice Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking an interim order for the forfeiture of undeclared assets by the senator.
However, the House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 8, accused the presidential panel of over-reaching its mandate. The ad-hoc committee of the House investigating the panel made the allegation at its sitting in Abuja. Chairman of the committee, Honourable Aliyu Ahman-Pategi, said that the decision of the lawmakers to investigate operations of the panel was to reposition it and help the government in its fight against corruption. As at the time of filling this report, efforts made to reach the distraught lawmaker for his reaction proved abortive.
#Additional reports by Daily Independent
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