Treasury looting: Akpabio bribes Umana with $6m

 ... refuses to drop more money

The Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio is said to have bribed his former SSG and governorship aspirant, Obong Umana Okon Umana with the sum of $6m to prevent the ex-SSG from blowing the whistle over the theft of the sum of N47b belonging to the Akwa Ibom State government.

The funds were allegedly looted from the state coffers by Akpabio and some members of his family under the pretext of deploying it for a scheme known as Operation Zero Potholes, through which the government was supposed to repair major road networks across the state.

The monies were allegedly taken out in two instalments of N37 billion and N12 billion respectively. We gathered that N6 billion of the looted funds was earmarked for the purchase of a banking licence in Ghana through Nest Oil and the Managing Director of Diamond Bank plc. Our sources also disclosed that part of the money was used for the purchase of ten per cent shares in Julius Berger, a multinational construction firm on Governor Akpabio’s behalf through Nest Oil Limited.

However, as theoraclenaija reported exclusively last month, the former SSG, Obong Umana who is in the know of these shady deals is threatening to expose the governor and his allies if the sum of N6b is not paid to him as his own share of the loot. Umana has reportedly sworn to leak the governors shady deals in the media should Akpabio fail to meet his demand for the sum of N6b of the stolen money.

Our sources confided that Umana has already been paid the equivalent of N1b by the governor at the moment although he is pressing further for the balance which may not be forthcoming, as Akpabio has stopped taking his calls and responding to his messages.

A source close to both parties and privy to the transactions revealed  that the former SSG and one-time friend of the governor has tried unsuccessfully to reach the governor to get the balance of the money but the latter has stopped picking his calls. "Umana is very close to exposing this dirty deal now and has vowed not to let it slip by unless he gets his total demand of the state wealth”, a source who pleaded anonymity stated.

It would be recalled that theoraclenaija had reported on September 18th, 2014 of how N47b had been systematically taken from the state account without appropriation on the pretence that the money would be used for fixing potholes in the state.