Ex-NNPC MD Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue and seized $43 million
Former Managing Director of one of the subsidiaries of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, has denied social media reports linking her to the $43.4m, N23m and £27,000 recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Nnamdi-Ogbue, who was MD, NNPC Retail section as well as the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, said this in a statement by her lawyer, Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN), on Thursday.
The EFCC had on Wednesday recovered the cash on the 7th floor of Osborne Towers located at 16, Osborne road Ikoyi. However, the commission did not disclose details regarding who owned the money.
It was learnt that some online news outlets assumed the ex-NNPC boss owned the money because she lives on the second floor of the same building.
However, Nnamdi-Ogbue maintained that she knew nothing about the money and urged members of the public to disregard the false news.
While saluting the EFCC for the remarkable recovery, Nnamdi-Ogbue urged members of the public not to jump to conclusions but wait for the EFCC to investigate the matter and issue its report.
The statement read in part, “The attention of our Client, Mrs. Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue has been drawn to the news making round in the news media to the effect that the large sums of money to wit: $43.4m and £27,000 uncovered by the EFCC from an apartment in Osborne Towers, Osborne Road, Ikoyi Lagos, Lagos State belong to her.
“By this Press Release, we inform the public (especially the news media) that the said sums of money and/or the apartment where the sums of money were found do not belong to our client. Our client is as shocked as many other Nigerians at the uncovering and recovery of the said sums of money and wishes to salute the courage and efforts of the EFCC in the war against corruption.
“She also wishes to commend the whistle-blower policy introduced by the Federal Government in the fight against corruption which policy has resulted in large scale uncovering and recovery of monies and assets.
“It is our client’s belief that the source and ownership of the said uncovered sums of money is known or eventually will be known by the EFCC in due course. There is, therefore, no need for conjecture or speculation.
“May we finally implore the news media to be more circumspect in their publications.”
– Sacked NNPC MD, Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue Owns The $50m Found By EFCC – Source –
Sources on Wednesday told SaharaReporters that the $50 million uncovered in a residential building located at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) belongs to the sacked Managing Director, Operations at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue.
Nnamdi-Ogbue, was sacked alongside other three top Managing Directors at the NNPC over the ‘missing’ petrol scandal involving Capital Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited owned by businessman, Ifeanyi Ubah.
SaharaReporters reports that the cook who served Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, absconded with cash and pieces of jewelry worth $6million in 2016.
The cook, Mr. Gabel Segbedji, a national of Benin Republic, took off with the loot in a Toyota Camry car, which also belonged to her boss.
The operation leading to the discovery was followed by a whistle blower’s confidential alert received by the anti-graft agency in the early hours of Wednesday.
The breakdown of the money found in the house is $43.4million, £27,800 and N23.2million.
According to the source, the movers of the bags made believe that they were bringing in bags of clothes. Another source who is conversant with the apartment of interest indicated that a woman usually appears on a different occasion with Ghana-Must-Go bags.
“She comes looking haggard, with dirty clothes but her skin didn’t quite match her outward appearance, perhaps a disguise,” the source said.
On getting to the building, operatives met the entrance door locked. Guards at the gate explained that nobody resides in the apartment, but some persons come in and out once in a while.
In compliance with the magisterial order contained in the warrant, the EFCC used minimum force to gain entrance into the apartment, the agency said.
Monies were found in two of the four-bedroom apartment. A further search of the wardrobe by operatives in one of the rooms was found to be warehousing three fireproof cabinets disguisedly hidden behind wooden panels of the wardrobe. Upon assessing the content of the cabinets, neatly arranged were US dollars, British pound sterling, and some naira notes in sealed wrappers.
Preliminary findings indicate that the funds are suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity. Investigations are ongoing.
The facility is said to be owned by a former PDP Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu.
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