EFCC grills Olisa Metuh for 9 hours

OPERATIVES of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) grilled Peoples Democratic Party spokesperson, Olisa Metuh, for nine hours after he was arrested on Tuesday, 5 January.

Metuh who has been under the radar of the anti-graft agency as part of the ongoing probe into the diversion of $2.1 billion budgeted for the purchase of arms through the office of former National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki, was arrested at his residence located at Prince and Princess Estate, Abuja, Nigeria’s capital at 9:00am.

He was then whisked away to the Wuse 2, Abuja office of the EFCC.

Richard Ihediwa, media aide of the PDP spokesperson confirmed the arrest of his boss. According to him, the EFCC operatives came in a bus to arrest the PDP spokesperson.

Metuh had on Monday raised alarm over media reports that he and a company he had interest in were being investigated for allegedly collecting about N400m from the office of the NSA when Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) was in charge.

The PDP chieftain had alleged that he was being tried in the media even when he has not been formerly invited by the anti graft agency. Metuh had weeks ago agreed that he collected funds from former President Goodluck Jonathan to carry out an assignment which he did not specify as the spokesperson for of PDP.

He however did not specify the assignment the fund was meant for, though he emphasized that he carried out the assignment.

According to EFCC, over N1.4billion was traced to the company in which he has a stake. The cash is believed by the EFCC to be part of the $2.1 billion arms funds.

There are indications that EFCC might detain Metuh but an official statement is yet to be issued to that effect.

“Metuh has been busy in the last nine hours writing a statement on some issues we have isolated for him,” a top source told The Nation.

“We have asked him to respond to the payment of N400million into Destra Investment Limited, a company he has high stake in.

“Metuh is also expected to explain some suspicious monies paid into the account of the company by some individuals and a company with link to one of the firms which was involved in arms procurement.”

“We are yet to freeze the account of Destra Investment Limited but we will do so,” the source said.

Adding that: “EFCC is collaborating with all relevant banks in this regard. We will invoke the relevant section of the EFCC Act on the account soon.”