The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has petitioned the Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN) over the allegation that an unnamed top official of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) secured employment slots at the National Biotechnology Development Agency Agency (NABDA) under now dismissed acting Director General, Professor Alex Akpa, so as to grant him soft landing over the alleged heist of N400 million.

The rights group said the secrecy surrounding the release from detention of the said sacked acting DG of NABDA, Professor Akpa, by the ICPC for over a month and the non-disclosure of the status of that matter which apparently has not been charged to court fuels the allegations obtained from an intelligence source embedded within the management of the Agency that a lot of hurriedly-packaged employment slots were allotted allegedly by the embattled DG when he acted for two years in anticipation that should there be need to be called to answer charges of financial impropriety that the ‘big masquerade’ with a lot of influence within the ICPC could grant him soft landing.

HURIWA has asked the nation’s Chief Law Officer to use his powers to investigate whether there is any credibility or believability in the intelligence provided by some very top directorate officials at NABDA.

“We had confronted the disgraced erstwhile acting DG of NABDA Prof Akpa, with this intelligence but he flatly denied it as an act of falsehood against him by his enemies hunting him out of office.

“However, HURIWA thinks the AGF/Minister of Justice should find out why the ICPC has been silent on the accusations they publicly made against the dismissed acting DG of NABDA for over one month since his widely publicised detention from which he immediately secured a bail and till date, no word has been said if the alleged disappeared N400 million has reappeared.”

In a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and National Media Affairs Director, Ms Zainab Yusuf, the rights group said the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, has also been petitioned to address the public on the allegations against his nominee who couldn’t secure the substantive appointment as the DG of NABDA.

HURIWA told the Science and Technology Minister that it is important that he speaks so Nigerians will know if he played a role or not in the said disappearance of that huge amount of public funds given that he is the direct supervisory Minister overseeing NABDA.

“We know Ogbonnaya Onu to be someone who wouldn’t want his reputation muddied so we expect him to provide immediate and far-reaching clarifications on these allegations,” HURIWA said.

Specifically, in the letter to the Attorney titled, “On Prof Alex Akpa and Demand for Your Intervention”, the rights group said: “We write on behalf our over 10,000 registered members and several other affiliate bodies [to] ask [that] youinvestigate the alleged collusion and compromise of officials of the ICPC in the matter involving the just dismissed acting director general of an agency under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology known as National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) in the person of Professor Alex Akpa.

“We recall that the said Prof Akpa who spent two years in acting capacity was recently sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari and a replacement made.

“The said disgraced erstwhile DG OF NABDA has had brushes with the law leading to his detention by the ICPC.

“But regrettably, to the shock of most Nigerians, he was picked up, detained only briefly and for a month that he was released, the ICPC has neither filed a suit nor has it made full public disclosure on the status of the allegation that the gentleman [allegedly] pilfered N400 million intervention fund belonging to NABDA.

“We were also told by some top whistle blowers within NABDA, that both ICPC and EFCC allegedly got some employment slots during the two year reign of the removed acting Director General so they can institutionally cover his tracks. This intelligence cannot be ascertained by us since we are not institutionally empowered to go through the records of employment that took place whilst Professor Akpa acted as Director General and couldn't get confirmation for substantive appointment.

“But the office of the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice can comfortably obtain the information through administrative means.

“Kindly investigate to see if there is any verifiable or concrete evidence of compromise on the part of ICPC which could explain the long silence about this same matter for which ICPC had officially informed the public that Prof Akpa was detained.

“We are doing this to assist President Buhari in his avowed fight against corruption. Your quick response and action will demonstrate your zeal to assist the President to carry on vigorous and corruption war.”