By The season continued in March 2017 with another discovery of money in Kaduna. The closure of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja and its relocation to Kaduna led to this expose. Upon information received, security agents had intercepted a package at the baggage screening point at the newly refurbished and revamped Airport. Originally it was claimed that the money, which was found in five unmarked and unaccompanied bags, was in crisp new N200 and N50 notes. Investigations swung into full gear but till today we have not heard anything further about the investigations. The only information, if any, was that the money had been recovered as a result of the activities of a whistleblower. We certainly are none the wiser about the owners or the purpose of the money.
The season of anomie moved Southwards into Lagos, the commercial capital of the country, in April, when money was recovered in various locations there.
On April 7 a whistleblower tipped off the EFCC Lagos Zone that a large sum of money was stashed in an office building at the LEGICO Shopping Plaza in the Nigeria Air Force Complex in Victoria Island. When Operatives raided the office, they found almost N500 million in N1000 and N500 denominations in several “Ghana Must Go” bags. On enquiry it was discovered that the offices concerned were abandoned Bureau De Change (BDC) offices. The offices had apparently not been used for two years. As far as we know, efforts to locate the owner of the BDC has proved abortive and nobody has turned up to claim the money.
The next major heralded whistleblowing event occurred on April 10 when the equivalent of almost N250 Million in Naira and various foreign currencies was recovered in a Bureau De Change (BDC) in the popular Balogun Market area of Lagos. Although two people were apprehended, they claimed the money belonged to their unidentified boss from the Northern part of Nigeria. The real owner of the money and the BDC involved remain un-named.
However, the mother of all discoveries was apparently yet to be made. On 12 April 2017 Nigerians woke up to the revelation that more than US$43 Million, £27 Million and N23 Million was found in a flat in Osborne Road, Ikoyi. The discovery in Ikoyi has apparently opened a can of worms and it is not known who will be exposed and consumed by the debacle. Unlike the other unknown and un-named owners affected by the previous whistleblowing escapades, a few people have been touted as potential owners of the property and the money.
The first of the alleged owners was a former Managing Director who was recently fired from NNPC, Mrs Esther Nnamdi-Okagbue. She promptly dissociated herself from the money or the property and threatened that if she continued to be intimidated she would break her silence and cause cataclysm in the country. Next up was a former national Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’Azu who allegedly owns the property although it was claimed that a prominent Nigerian bank has foreclosed on it. The embattled former national Chairman immediately and stoutly denied any link with the flat in which the money had been found or the money itself.
