IG Has Ordered Raid on My Abuja Home, Wike Alleges

• Deputy House of Reps Speaker alleges threat to life

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt and Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has alleged that the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, ordered his men to raid his (the governor’s) Abuja residence.

The governor also restated his commitment to ensure that the $43 million recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at an Ikoyi residence, which he alleged belonged to Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, was returned to the state.

Wike spoke yesterday at Government House, Port Harcourt while addressing journalists. He said Idris signed the order for the invasion of his residence on Friday before heading to Kaduna. He also said the IG planned that the invasion took place over the weekend before getting a court order on Tuesday.

“As I speak to you, the approval (to raid my house in Abuja) was made yesterday (Friday). They would have gone to court on Monday, but for public holiday. They will go to court on Tuesday to seek an order. I am not afraid, but I just want to let Nigerians know,” Wike said.

He recalled that he had earlier spoken of a plot by the IG to eliminate him through the new commissioner of Police posted to Rivers State, Ahmed Zaki.

His words: “About three weeks ago, I had an interview where I said the IG of Police is after my life. Yesterday, the IG had approved that they should go my house in Abuja to raid my house. And that they would get the court order on Tuesday in Abuja.

“First of all, I don’t stay in the lodge; I have never stayed in the lodge since I became governor. I live in my private house in Abuja, in Asokoro. Now, what they have done in that order they want to get from the court is that in the order they wanted to get from the court, they did not indicate who owns the house or who is living in the house.

“Obviously, the court will be wary of searching a governor’s house because of immunity. But to beat that they did not indicate that it is the Governor of Rivers State House. I am not afraid. If you want to search my house, I live in Port Harcourt, I have my house in the village and I have my house in Old GRA. So, you can come and search.

“I don’t live in Abuja and I cannot keep anything in Abuja. They can go and plant either AK-47 or $1 million and say they found it in the governor’s house. They can even put wrist-watches that are so expensive that cost up to $10 million and say oh, we discovered it from the governor’s private residence. And I said I have to let Nigerians know that this is not the way to go about in democracy, rather this is an attempt to truncate democracy.

“You cannot gag everybody; people must have their opinions on issues. That I have my opinion on a certain issue does not mean that you have to go after the person’s life.”

He said the IG had carried out similar raids on the residence of Senator Danjuma Goje and former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswan. “They went to Senator Goje’s house the other night when the man was not around. We are aware that they said they got from office or house of Suswam, AK-47 and this and that; the man was not there,” he said.

Wike said the plot by the IG was to state that the police found incriminating evidence in his house.

“So, Nigerians should be aware that if they go to my house and tell you that they found anything, please, it is not correct. But I will be there in Abuja; I will wait for them. I will go to Abuja and wait for them. I will wait for his (IGP) crack team that will come to break the house and enter so that they can bring the Ak-47, the machine guns and $1 million or $2 million as the case may be.”

He said he is always a step ahead of his detractors, adding that the IG should formally join the ranks of politicians instead of hiding behind the cloak of security to play politics.

On the return of the Ikoyi haul, Wike said he would not give details but the state’s legal team was already at work.

“I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag. Our legal team is working. It is not one day affair. So, what I can tell you is that we still stand by our assertion. We are doing everything possible to recover our money. That is what I can tell you and I don’t want to let you know the full details of what we are doing,” he said.

Meanwhile, a week after the death of Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, the Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Lasun Yusuf has raised the alarm over alleged threat to his life.

Yusuf, at a press conference addressed by his Special Adviser on Constituency Matters, Dr. Remi Ajala said subsequent upon his declaration of interest for the governorship race of Osun State in 2018, he has received a number of threats that has put his life in danger.

He contended that various public instances and actions that followed his declaration for the Osun number one seat are pointers to the fact that his life is in danger.

He implored the general public to ignore the statement credited to some members of Osun caucus of the House of Representatives, namely; Hons. Jibola Famurewa, Mojeed Alabi, Gaffar Amere, Ayo Omidiran and Olufemi Fakeye, shortly after the tribute on late Adeleke at the plenary on the floor of the House that his expression of fear was built on emotion.

He made reference to a statement credited to the chairman of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Prince Gboyega Famoodun, sternly warning him and Senator Isiaka Adeleke to suspend their governorship ambition using the coverage of APC to express his (Famoodun) personal hatred against him and Adeleke.

According to him, “his mission to attend the birthday of a progressive leader at Ikirun on January 27 was aborted by a text message of threat to his life investigated by the Directorate of State Service and linked to one Mr. Abimbowo aka Ijanja who confessed that he was directed to send the message by the then Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Osun.”

The threat message reported to the DSS, according to him, read “Sir, it’s very unfair for you to want to attend Baba Owoseni’s birthday ceremony tomorrow. If you insist to come and anything comes against you, you have to bear it. My advice is that you should not come”.

Yusuf also recalled when a former Commissioner in Osun State mobilised thugs in the first week of April this year to stop him from the construction of Eid’s perimeter fence along Ibokun road in Osogbo.

While pledging his commitment to the success of APC in Osun State, the Deputy Speaker contended that he would not want any death to occur to anyone in “such a mysterious way it had happened in the case of Senator Isiaka Adeleke”.