According to The Nation, the authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are keeping intense watch over a former Nigerian governor who is believed to have stashed a $517m loot in the country and his recent move to move the money to the Dominican Republic was thwarted.
Also under security watch in the UAE are the accounts and other transactions of some Nigerian VIPs who have turned the country into a safety net for their loots. This follows the recent signing of the Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement between the two countries, initiated by Pres. Buhari.
Yesterday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign and Domestic Debts, Mallam Shehu Sani, said: “Over $200 billion are stashed away in Dubai alone. This may be the monies stolen in the last 20 years. I am not talking about estates and bonds bought with Nigeria’s stolen money.”
Nigerian and UAE security agencies are collaborating in monitoring the activities of many Nigerians, especially those categorized as “Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs). A source familiar with the development said the former governor is under the watch-list of the UAE and the EFCC and has been worried in the last few weeks.
He is said to be lying low and avoiding UAE in order not to suffer the James Ibori fate. Some of those being watched have reduced their frequent trips to the Emirates because any highly-placed Nigerian arrested for money laundering in UAE risks a 10-year imprisonment…. pls remember them in ur prayers today…..
