The immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, has urged the federal government to confiscate any money found in a foreign bank account in his name.
He further asked the government to investigate the source of such funds and prosecute its owner.
Akpabio, who is currently representing Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, stated this in a statement on Friday in response to a newspaper report that he had made a secret attempt to withdraw $7.2 billion from banks in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, through channels in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The statement signed by the former governor’s media assistant, Anietie Ekong, said Akpabio does not own any property in Dubai or any other foreign country.
“We challenge these purveyors of falsehood to publish the full details of the purported $7.2 billion account and we urge the Federal Government of Nigeria to seize such sum and prosecute the owner if it does exist”, the statement said.
Mr. Akpabio, who is the serving senate minority leader, said the media report against him was sponsored by his political opponents.
“People should learn to accept the outcome of elections and stop this kind of dangerous propaganda in the name of politics”, he said.
Following the recent agreements signed between Nigeria and UAE, among them the Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal and Commercial Matters, which includes the recovery and repatriation of stolen wealth, corrupt former and serving Nigerian officials, who stashed part of their loots and or bought property in that country, have reportedly been unsettled as the middle-eastern country is no longer a safe-haven for them or their ill-acquired wealth.
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