NDLEA official petitions Buhari

*Alleges fresh plot to abduct Senator Kashamu

A top official of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Paul Audu, a lawyer, has written a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari.

In the petition, Barrister Audu urged him to order an investigation into alleged atrocities committed by the former Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade during his 10-year tenure.

The petition was titled “A Call for Investigation of Allegations of Corrupt Practices and Clandestine Activities of Alhaji Ahmadu Giade (Former NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive), dated 28th March, 2016.

[Audu is a Chief Superintendent of Narcotics.]

He said he was constrained to send the petition to the President because no action was taken on an earlier one he sent to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in December, 2015.

Specifically, he said the petition was received in the Office of the AGF on the 11th of December, 2015.

In the earlier petition dated December 1, 2015, Audu had alleged, among others, that Giade embezzled the sum of Five Hundred Million Naira (N500, 000,000.00).

That being the fund remitted to the Agency by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2008 for the purpose of carrying out Drug Demand Reduction enlightenment campaign.

The campaign was aimed at reducing and discouraging illicit drug business and consumption in Nigeria.

He also accused Giade of converting to personal use the sum of Sixteen Million Naira (N16,000,000.00).

The said sum was the balance of the sum of Thirty Four Million Naira (N34,000,000.00) remitted to the Agency (NDLEA) by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

It was earmarked for the training of its staff at the NDLEA Academy, Jos, Plateau State.

The petitioner also urged the President to order the relevant anti-graft agencies to probe how Giade allegedly doubled for himself the estacode due to him.

It doubled from Five Hundred and Fifty Dollars per night ($550.00) to One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per night for all the foreign trips embarked upon by him during his headship of the Agency.

The former NDLEA boss was further accused of corruptly enriching himself with the sum of One Billion, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N1.5billion).

That was the fund remitted to the Agency in 2014 as Intervention Fund by the Federal Government.

Giade was also said to have allegedly misappropriated the sum of Nine Hundred Million Naira (N900, 000,000).

The said sum was realized through the Agency’s recruitment portals.

He made applicants for the Agency’s job to pay the sum of One Thousand Five Hundred Naira (N1, 500.00) as application/access fees.

According to Audu, the Area Commander of Gada Area Command in Sokoto State, he realized the said amount without offering them jobs.

Audu further alleged that contrary to Giade’s term of employment on the 24th November, 2005, for a term of 4 years, he (Giade) stayed in office for six (6) more years without valid renewal of his tenure.

“[He] thereby fraudulently occupied the said office for a period of 10 years (i.e. from 24th November, 2005 to 24th November, 2015) during which he was remunerated with tax payers’ money and thereby conferred unfair advantage on himself.”

The petitioner alleged further that Giade flagrantly disobeyed a superior circular from a constituted authority to wit;

The Federal Civil Service Commission with Ref. no; FC.6243/S.1/XVIII/5 dated 28th May, 2010 and received in his office on 7th June, 2010.

He, however, deliberately refused/failed to promote the staff/officers of the Agency already due or in arrears of promotion on or before 30th of November, 2010, as directed in the said circular.

He, therefore, stagnated several officers of the Agency for upward of six to 10 years  or more.

Audu also accused the former Narcotics czar of stealing the sum of One Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira (N1.5b).

That was the fund remitted to the Agency between October, 2014 and March, 2015, by the Federal Government to be disbursed to officers of the Agency for the March and April, 2015 general elections.

The petitioner accused Giade of compromising national security.

This he did by collaborating with and permitting the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Office of the United States of America to install surveillance/intelligence gathering gadgets.

Said gadgets were installed at Nigerian International Airports and the Agency’s national headquarters, Ikoyi, Lagos, under US officials’ control and management.

Through those gadgets, they directly spy over Nigeria territory and our military formations within the areas of coverage, including the Nigerian Air Force Base, Ikeja, Lagos.

They continuously gather intelligence on Nigeria to the detriment of the Federal Government.

In the latest petition to President Buhari, Audu quipped, “The question then is: since those gadgets do not and cannot detect drugs, what then could be the motive for installing them?

“The motive obviously cannot be far from espionage. Can Nigeria do this in America? Certainly not!

“We must be able to strike a balance between foreign aid and our national security which must be held sacrosanct, inviolable and non-negotiable as a sovereign nation.”

Audu alleged that “Giade’s lawlessness and disobedience for the rule of law and court orders have no boundary.

“The dramo-hypocritical and orchestrated invasion of the premises of Senator Kashamu in May, 2015 cannot be forgotten in a hurry.

“I am very much aware that the Agency had previously sent some of its very senior officers to London to give evidence in Buruji Kashamu’s favour.

“[They] equally deposed to affidavit in his favour at the Federal High Court, Lagos in 2002 and 2013 respectively (i.e. under Giade’s administration).

“So, how can we now reasonably explain the sudden dramatic twist ignited by Giade against the same Kashamu soon after your victory at the poll?”

The top NDLEA official more or less confirmed the recent alarm raised by the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District of Ogun State, Buruji Kashamu.

Kashamu had alleged that Giade and some powerful persons were planning to abduct him and forcibly take him to the U.S.

“However, I recently read of the alarm raised by Senator Kashamu about yet another attempt by Giade to abduct him’

“[That] made him to sue the AGF, NDLEA and Giade, and also petitioned the National Assembly.

“Knowing Giade’s predilection for illegalities, this might not be unfounded.

“Information is rife now again within the Agency about such planned abduction in another form by Giade, in collaboration with US Embassy officials in Nigeria and DEA agents.”

Audu commended President Buhari’s anti-corruption war “more so that it leaves no room for sacred cows, and Alhaji Ahmadu Giade must not be an exception”.

He faulted the appointment of Giade as Special Assistant to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

He wondering what such “a lawless fellow” was doing in the office of the Chief Law Officer of the Federation.

In conclusion, the operative said, “All the criminal allegations contained in the attached Appendix A against him are evidently verifiable.

“Giade should be asked to step aside from his position and referred to the appropriate Agency for investigation in order to establish the veracity or otherwise of the allegations against him.

“Even if it is for the sake of restoring order to the system and recovering the stupendous public funds looted by him.”