Okoi Obono-Obla, former Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), has alleged that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari shielded a former governor from prosecution over $200 million in offshore assets.
This revelation was made during an interview on the Mic On Podcast.
Obono-Obla expressed his frustration over the government’s inaction on several high-profile corruption cases he encountered during his tenure.
He highlighted a specific case involving the recovery of extravagant assets, which included 80 brand new armored S-Class Mercedes Benz cars, houses, farms, motorcycles, and more, all discovered in a single location in Jabi.
“We intervened, questioned whether customs duties were paid on these vehicles. It turned out, they hadn’t,” Obono-Obla stated.
Regarding tax evasion, Obono-Obla noted, “I wrote to the Federal Inland Revenue Service about these assets, questioning if taxes were paid. They confirmed no records of tax payments.”
He revealed that the panel took proactive measures to secure a court order to take custody of the assets pending further legal proceedings.
Additionally, Obono-Obla discussed the investigation into offshore assets linked to a former senator and governor, discovered through the Panama Papers. He claimed that the offshore properties were worth over £200 million.
Following his investigations, Obono-Obla submitted detailed reports to President Buhari and the Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, SAN. However, despite these efforts, Obono-Obla was sacked on August 15, 2019, during the Buhari administration.
His dismissal letter indicated that Obono-Obla would face “criminal prosecution on matters related to his alleged financial dealings, as uncovered by the ICPC upon investigation.”
The letter also mentioned the possibility of the University of Jos withdrawing his law degree and the Nigerian Law School debarring him from practice.