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The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, resolved to investigate the ownership of the $43m (over N13bn) uncovered in an apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the money was recovered during a raid conducted on the building, located at Osborne Road, on April 12.
Lawmakers said the investigation had become necessary owing to the controversies surrounding the “actual owner” of the cash in the light of the admittance by the National Intelligence Agency, NIA that the money belonged to the agency.
The motion to investigate the recovery was moved by a member from Edo State, Mr. Babatunde Kolawole.
He recalled that the cash included “$42m”; “£27,000” and “N23m.”
Kolawole added that the conflicting ownership accounts of the money had raised suspicion that it might be “proceeds of crime or intended for money laundering or electioneering purposes.”
In passing the motion, lawmakers noted that though the executive arm of government was already probing the cash recovery, the House would also conduct its own independent investigation into the matter.
Part of the motion read, “Cognisant of the need for a thorough investigation into the matter in order to ascertain the source of the money, given the claims on its ownership and purpose and also the damaging effects it is having on the anti-corruption drive of the government, the House resolves to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the source and actual ownership of the money and report back in two weeks for further legislative action.”
TheNewsGuru.com reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had called for immediate investigations to unravel the owners of the loot and also suspended the Director General of the NIA, following his alleged confession that the agency owes the money.