A former Managing Director, Operations of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, has denied ownership of the huge sums of money uncovered, on Wednesday, by the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) from an apartment at Osborne Towers in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
Nnamdi-Ogbue said this in a statement by her lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, adding that she was shocked just as many other Nigerians at the recovered money.
Some media reports and President Muhammadu Buhari’s bellicose personal assistant on social media, Lauretta Onochie, had spread the news that the money belonged to Nnamdi-Ogbue.
Denying the allegation, the former NNPC boss hailed the EFCC for its courage and efforts in the fight against corruption.
The statement of denial reads: “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: $38,000,000.00 (Thirty-Eight Million Dollars), N23,000,000.00 (Twenty-Three Million Naira) and £27,000.00 (Twenty-Seven Thousand Pounds) uncovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes (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.”
The recovered cash on Wednesday is the third time the EFCC would uncover such huge amount in Lagos this week.
The commission, through the assistance of a whistleblower, had earlier found various currencies at Balogun market of the state on Monday and on Tuesday also intercepted N4billion cash in a Bureau de Change shop in Victoria Island of the state.
