Rivers Government Sides With Patience Against Efcc, Fails To Release Details On Properties

BEVERLY HILLS, December 14, (THEWILL) – The Rivers State Ministry of Lands and Survey has allegedly refused to cooperate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its bid to obtain details on some assets linked with the former First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Reports indicate that the anti-graft agency has written to the Ministry for details, in its on-going probe of Patience but officials of the Ministry have blocked access to the documents.

The agency was however lucky as it was able to retrieve her service records from the Government of Bayelsa State.

The EFCC believes that the retrieval of the papers with the screening of her salary and emoluments, as a retired permanent secretary in Bayelsa, could determine whether her earnings could match the 13 assets traced to her.

Besides the assets, she is also laying claim to $15.5m in some domiciliary accounts.

The EFCC gathered that there was nowhere in the records where the ex-First Lady earned foreign exchange as emoluments and estacodes amounting to over $15.5million she is claiming to own.

Her service records show that her pay packet is N700, 000, while all her official estacodes and emoluments were not up to the amount being claimed and are not sufficient for owning the choice properties linked to her.

Of the 13 properties allegedly linked with the ex-First Lady, eight are said to be in Port Harcourt while five are in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital.

The assets in Port Harcourt are: former Customs Service officers mess; two duplexes on 2/3 Bauchi Street; landed property with blocks at Ambowei Street; three Luxury apartments of four bedroom each at Ambowei Street; and Grand View Hotel on Airport Road.

The assets in Yenagoa include two marble duplexes at Otioko GRA by Isaac Boro Expressway; Glass House on Sani Abacha Expressway (which is housing Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board); Akemfa Etie Plaza by AP filling Station, Melford Okilo Road; and, Aridolf Resort, Wellness and Spa on Sani Abacha Expressway.

Story by Oputah David