The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), which is a coalition of over 150 anti-corruption organisations across Nigeria, has demanded for the investigation of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) with respect to the allegation of missing $202m by the House of Representatives Committee.

In a letter forwarded to the chairman of the anti-graft commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu and signed by the national chairman of CSNAC, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, the Network said EFCC should broaden its investigation on the issue with a view to ensuring that the money is recovered and the offenders prosecuted accordingly.

The petition reads: "We are writing to make a demand for your good office to extend your investigation of the NIA with respect to the suspected case of missing $202 million.

"Our demand is based on the report of Punch newspaper, dated the 30th of April, 2018, wherein details were revealed to the effect that the House of Representatives Committee investigating the alleged money laundering and diversion of public fund in the agency has purportedly discovered $202 million belonging to the NIA as missing.

"The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence has revealed that the sum of $202 million belonging to the NIA is unaccounted for or ‘missing’ and must be recovered by the EFCC."

CSNAC noted that: "The discovery came up following the investigation by the committee on National Security and Intelligence led by Mr. Aminu Sani-Jaji, a lawmaker from Zamfara state, into the $43 million which the EFCC recovered from a building at Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos in 2017.

"The said committee in its report revealed that intervention fund released to the NIA during the administration of the former President Goodluck Jonathan was a total sum of #289 million.

"They further revealed that your Commission already recovered the sum of $43 million out of the aforementioned sum, while $44 million was transferred by the agency to another location for safe keeping.

"The outstanding balance of $202 million could not be traced, as all relevant persons in connection to the fund could not provide useful answers to the committee, leading to the committee’s recommendation that the whereabouts of the remaining $202 million should be further investigated."

The anti-graft network said: "It is worth noting that the NIA’s suspended Director General, Mr. Ayo Oke, was in charge at the time the money was paid to the NIA.

"It is in line with the said recommendation that we urge the commission to further broaden your investigation on this issue with a view to ensuring that the money is recovered and the offenders prosecuted accordingly.

"It was also recommended that all intervention funds given in the last administration to intelligence agencies should be thoroughly investigated in a bid to sanitize the system and rid same of unscrupulous elements who tamper with the said funds for personal gains, at the expense of helpless citizens of Nigeria, some of who die almost on a daily basis, as an indirect result of the actions of a few corrupt officials of the intelligence agencies," the petition reads.

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