Minister says FG must respect privacy of looters

chika ebuzor

August 7, 2017 8:59 AM

There have been calls from several quarters for the Federal Government to disclose the identity of those who looted funds.

The minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed has said that the Federal Government will respect the privacy of looters.

The minister also said that some of those who returned money, did not know that the funds disbursed to them was diverted.

Mohammed also said “There are some people who voluntarily returned the loot and explained that when the money was given to them, they never knew the source of these funds. Can you in good conscience name and shame that kind of person?

“Those who has voluntarily returned the money, I think we owe them the obligation to respect their privacy. Because they said they did not know that this money was from a particular source and they returned it.

“Those people whose accounts have been temporarily forfeited, if you go to name them, they are going to hold you up in court for months or years. And we said that our major intention is to recover our loot first.

“Some people returned the money that was given to them for campaign when it has been established that that money was actually meant for the prosecution of Boko Haram. Such people, we do not feel that morally, it will be right to name them.

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“Two, we don’t want to be bugged down by litigations. You name a person that he has stolen money or he has returned money, and you have fully recovered the money from him or you’re in the process of recovering it because probably there is just an interim forfeiture,…you’re going to be bugged down with all kinds of litigations.”

You will recall that a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the Muhammadu Buhari administration to release information about public officials who allegedly looted the treasury.

chika ebuzor