. Security aides, protocol officer indicted, confess to crime as Akabe gives ultimatum for refund in dollars
. Suspects already expended stolen money on vehicle, motorcycle, landed property
. Money ‘originally’ meant to indict Deputy Gov in bribery scandal – source
An alleged theft of a bag containing the sum of about $22,580.00 (N20million) kept in the Office of the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State is currently causing disquiet in the state.
Already, worried by the alleged theft, the state’s Deputy Governor, Dr Emmanuel Agbadu Akabe, has given an ultimatum for the return of the stolen Dollars confirmed to be equivalent to N20million.
It was learnt that the theft occurred at the Deputy Governor’s Office before the Christmas break and two of his security aides – a policeman and an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps – as well as one of his Protocol Officers, have been identified as the prime suspects.
The suspected persons were said to have conspired to steal the money left in a bag in the Deputy Governor’s Office.
The alleged stolen funds, reported to be in US dollars, were said to belong to foreign investors interested in Lithium mining in Nasarawa State.
It was learnt that the money was left in a bag at the Deputy Governor’s office after a meeting between him and the three mining companies disputing over mining sites in Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state.
But our correspondent could not ascertain why a bag containing such amount of foreign currency was left behind in the Governor’s Office at the end of meeting with the mining companies.
But a source claimed that the money was actually meant to indict the Deputy Governor in a plot to involve him in a bribery scandal.
Impeccable sources said when the Deputy Governor discovered the theft, he immediately set up an independent investigation, which reportedly confirmed the involvement of the three suspects.
The suspects, it was gathered, have allegedly confessed to the crime, giving details of how they allegedly shared the stolen money among themselves.
The three suspects, it was further learnt, shared the stolen money amongst themselves with the Deputy Governor’s security aides taking the bigger share.
But while the two security aides were said to have expended their own share on the purchase of a car and a motorcycle, the Protocol Officer allegedly bought a house with his own N3.5million share.
The Deputy Governor, it was further learnt, has however ordered the suspects to return the stolen funds in dollars. He’s also said to be planning to return the funds to the rightful owners believed to be the foreign investors in the Lithium mining project.
Police and NSCDC authorities are said to have launched an investigation into the theft allegedly involving their officers.