'I told NSA about the money,' Suspended NIA boss tells panel, presents 'evidence'

Oke, who has since been suspended, was said to have insisted that he informed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno about the money.

Monguno is a member of the three-man presidential investigative panel probing the cash haul.

The panel is headed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, with the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami as the third panelist.

The embattled NIA boss appeared before the panel on Monday, April 24, with a heap of evidential documents, it was learnt.

Reports said for nearly 11 hours, the committee interrogated Oke and some top NIA officials, as well as examined the documents presented by them.

An unnamed source, cited by The Nation, said the panel worked from 10am and had not finished as at 9.30pm.

"What the committee did was to sieve through heaps of documents submitted by the EFCC and the NIA on the $43.4million," the source said.

"Some of the documents include findings at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) on some companies engaged by the intelligence agency.

"After analysing these documents, the committee started interacting with some top officials of NIA. Thereafter at about 5.40pm, the interaction with Oke then started.

"Oke took longer time because he brought the list of projects being executed, the designs, contract papers and mode of payment," the source added.

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Oke was said to have told the committee about the covert operations and projects executed by the agency.

Another source, as quoted by the newspaper, said the NIA boss gave "a spirited defence of his career and said there was no ill-motive behind the cash."

"At the end of it all, Oke was heard saying 'I did my best before the committee. I have left the rest to God."

It was also gathered that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have suspended further actions on the interrogation of some suspects for the Osinbajo committee to conclude its work on the case.

Buhari gave the committee 14 days to submit its report.