Fresh scandal rocks NIA, $44million stolen
Daily Trust is reporting that just two months after President Muhammadu Buhari sacked Ambassador Ayodele Oke as Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), fresh scandal has hit the national spy agency.
According to the report, about $44million in cash which was kept in the spy agency’s vaults in Abuja was reportedly removed to an unknown destination before the agency’s new DG resumes duty in some hours.
Vice president Yemi Osinbajo and his committee had ordered that the money must remain in NIA’s vault as exhibit but has now gone missing.
A source said: “While the money remained in the vault, certain powerful forces mounted pressure on the acting DG, Ambassador Mohammed Dauda, who was redeployed from Chad, to use the money since it is the property of the NIA but the acting DG refused.”
The sources added that “But barely two days after President Buhari named a substantive head for the agency, a black bullion van was dispatched to NIA and the money was removed to an unknown destination around 6am on Friday. The team that removed the money was accompanied by a serving military officer who was posted to the intelligence outfit months ago as the finance officer.”
Daily Trust reports that the total amount of money removed from NIA’s vaults on Friday was $44,285,996.
Acting DG Ambassador Mohammed Dauda on Saturday, January 13 did not deny or confirm that money was moved from NIA’s vaults but promised to look into the matter.
