Governor Nyesom Wike
The Rivers State Government has filed criminal charges against former Governor Chibuike Amaechi, Sahara Energy and Tonye Cole, who is now the guber candidate of the APC in the State, over alleged N96bn fraud from the sale of state-owned gas turbines and other assets.
Governor Wike announced this on Friday at the Executive Chamber of Government House, Port Harcourt, after swearing in three new commissioners in the State Executive Council.
They are Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice; Hon. Isaac Kamalu as Commissioner of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, and Dr. George-Kelly Alabo as Commissioner for Works and Special Projects
The governor directed the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to commence diligent prosecution of the illegal financial dealings of the former Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Mr. Tonye Cole, Sahara Energy and others over the sale of state assets.
Governor Wike said there is need for Rivers people and the rest of the world to know what actually happened to the $50 million, which he said disappeared from state’s account without a proof of business where it was deployed.
“Attorney General, you’re at a critical period where people want to know what the State is going to do with the Judiciary Panel of Inquiry after the Supreme Court judgement on it. Luckily, you came at the right time when we have preferred criminal charges against the former governor (Amaechi), Sahara Energy, Tonye Cole and the rest of them.”
“So, you are coming at the right time to take over the matter and to make sure it is prosecuted diligently. I don’t want to hear excuses. Let the people see what happened to our money. The world will see how $50 million Dollar from our account was moved to a company without nothing to show whether there was a business.”
The Governor further directed the State’s Attorney General to write a strong worded protest letter to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, over harassment of State’s PDP governorship candidate, Mr. Siminalaye Fubara.
The protest letter to be written to EFCC, according to Governor Wike, is predicated on the fact that, recently, EFCC officers attempted to harass and intimidate Fubara, who before his emergence as the PDP governorship candidate, had served as the Accountant General of Rivers State.
Governor Wike said EFCC needs to know that the era of impunity and flagrant disobedience to the rule of law is gone and his administration will not accept such behaviour, warning that the attempt to harass the State PDP candidate will not be accepted as the State government will not hesitate to charge the EFCC for contempt.
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