Metuh Tears Own Statement, Admits He Received N400m

Source: thewillnigeria.com

BEVERLY HILLS, January 12, (THEWILL) – National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, Tuesday, tore a statement he voluntarily made to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over his alleged involvement in the $2.1billion arms fraud being investigated by the anti-graft agency.

Sources told THEWILL that Metuh tore the statement after it was presented to him by the investigating officer for endorsement, as part of preparations for his prosecution.

Rather than sign the document, he seized it and proceeded to tear them. He then tried to stuff the papers into his mouth to swallow them before he was stopped by operatives who managed to recover the torn pieces of papers from him.

However, Metuh, in a statement by his Special Assistant Mr. Richard Ihediwa, in Abuja on Tuesday, said it was not true that he had refused to answer questions put forward to him by the EFCC investigators

He claimed that he was cooperating with the commission adding that he had volunteered statements to the anti-graft agency in which he explained his role in the alleged arms scandal money.

He admitted that it was true that former President Goodluck Jonathan gave him N400m for a job which he refused to disclose. He said he would only disclose the job he did for the former President in court.

“This office wishes to state categorically that Chief Metuh has fully cooperated with investigators within his constitutionally guaranteed rights,” the statement read.

“In exercise of his rights, he has since given his statement to the EFCC wherein he submitted that he received the sum of N400m from the former President for an assignment, which he executed to the satisfaction of the former President.

“In further exercise of his rights, Metuh has also indicated his readiness to make public the nature of this assignment, but only in an open court in line with the laws of the land, and where his statement would not be distorted by anybody.

“Metuh, therefore, believes that his continued incarceration and failure to charge him to court are deliberately intended to prevent him from telling his own story in the open court for all Nigerians to know.”

He said that contrary to the impression that the issue of N400m was a product of investigation, it was actually a product of Metuh's voluntary statement.

Story by David Oputah