Posted by By Vincent Ukpong Kalu on
Few weeks before Nuhu Ribadu was removed as Chairman of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), embattled businessman, Chief Emmanuel Nwude, had written a letter to President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua detailing how the EFCC, under Ribadu and its agents, looted his assets.
Few weeks before Nuhu Ribadu was removed as Chairman of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), embattled businessman, Chief Emmanuel Nwude, had written a letter to President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua detailing how the EFCC, under Ribadu and its agents, looted his assets.
The letter, which was copied to over 12 offices and relevant agencies was published in three national newspapers as advertorial, created credibility crisis not only for Ribadu and the EFCC but also the law firms that he said EFCC used to sell his asset.
When Ribadu was removed, tmedia and Aso Rock close watchers remarked that the Nwude letter was one of the last straws that broke the camel's back.
According to the Nwude's letter, while his case was pending at the Court of Appeal, the EFCC and the law firm disposed his assets in a shady transaction. The assets were sold at rock bottom prices. Nwude's Russell Centre property at Abuja, where a buyer bided for N3.3billion, was sold to an Olusegun Obasanjo crony for N2.3billion
The same shady transaction was replicated for his 34, Bourdillon road, Ikoyi, property that has 18 flats) and pent house. There was an offer to buy the property for N1.6 billion, but it was later sold for N1.2 billion.
Nwude was the highest shareholder at Union Bank Plc. The shares were sold at N25 per share lower than the N31 market value of a share. It was alleged that It was the same with his 3.5 million shares of Nigerian Bottling Company. Higher offers came but were ignored and sold to cronies.
No 70, Allen Avenue, an eight storey building built by G. Cappa Ltd., whose value is over N1billion was sold to one woman for N150 million.
In that letter, Nwude accused EFCC operatives of breaking his room's door and safe with diamond cutters and emptying its precious and valuable contents, including gold and diamond jewelries and some hard currencies.
Nwude said that when he entered plea bargain, it was agreed initially that he would refund the sum of $60 million. It was hiked to $80 million and later $120 million on the day of judgment. He said that the EFCC had employed all manners of psychological warfare, including attacks on his aged parents at home and his younger brother and his wife were detained by the EFCC to browbeat him to sign the said $120 million agreement. He reproduced the agreement letter, which all the parties reached for him to pay back $80 m
Why Ribadu wanted him dead
According to Nwude, his problem started when Obasanjo was looking for ways to remove the then IGP, Tafa Balogun and Ribadu was detailed to find a way of blackmailing Tafa.
He said in the petition: 'I never knew Ribadu until in 2003 when I appeared before him while I was in EFCC guesthouse at Abuja. He came to me and brought out a prepared paper that I should sign that Tafa Balogun was my friend. He said that I should just do one favour for him by writing that I gave Tafa Balogun the sum of $200,000. I called him, Nuhu, what are you going to do with this? He said he would use this to show Obasanjo. ‘You know that Baba likes blackmail and he will ask me to go.' I said let me think over it. He gave me his three phone numbers and said after writing that I shouldn't give it to anybody but call him to come and take it.
When he came by midnight the only thing I had written in the paper was that 'I am a member of PDP' and how I played politics. He looked at the paper and asked what I had written? I said this is all I could write. He said 'no' and said look Chief Nwude, if you want to leave here, just write in one sentence that I gave Tafa $100,000. That if I didn't write this I was not going to be freed. I said if that were the case I was not going to write anything and he left.
'When I was to go to a medical cheek up at National Hospital, Abuja, he said I should be brought to Lagos to see him. When I was brought to his office, he asked me why I told Tafa what he discussed with me. I told him that I never told Tafa anything and that I never had any access to him. Go and ask him. He said that it seemed like Tafa heard what he discussed with me. This was the more reason he was hunting for me by all means.
I told him, I'm an Igbo man and I can't do that. I asked him if somebody tells you to write that you gave somebody money when you didn't would you write it. He said Walali! If he were in my trouble he would do that. I said well, I don't know the trouble I was into. He just got up and flung the paper and asked one of his orderlies that from henceforth nobody should visit me and I should no more be allowed to use phone more so, whenever food is brought to me it should be searched it. That is how trouble started.