Nduka Obaigbena has been given two week to refund N670million.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has granted Nduka Obaigbena, the publisher of This Day newspaper, an administrative bail. However, he has been also given two weeks to refund N670million allegedly collected for unexecuted contracts.

During the investigation Obaigbena claimed that he had never benefitted from the funds from the office of the national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

According to him, the administration of the former president Goodluck Jonathan paid the said sums to This Day and the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria as compensation for the bombing of the newspaper house by the Boko Haram sect.

Obaigbena said that Jonathan promised to give compensation after an inspection visit to the newspaper.

Speaking with The Nation on Wednesday, January 27, an EFCC official familiar with the development said:

“What we are investigating is General Hydrocarbons. Records from the Corporate Affairs Commission indicated that Nduka Obaigbena is a director of the company. ONSA reported that General Hydrocarbons was one of the companies that received payments purportedly for contracts without contract documents or approval.

“Between December 8, 2014 and May 23, 2015, Obaigbena received N670million from ONSA. The reasons stated on the payment mandates are as follows: First tranche of N150million (environmental security project) and the remaining tranches (payment for energy consultancy).

“Obaigbena said he was paid compensation of N550 million for the bombing of “This Day” office in Abuja but there is no nexus between this payment and the money he collected for contracts. None of the sums shows that what he got from ONSA was compensation.

“The complaint before us is that the company was given money without contractual agreement.By all records, Obaigbena was paid for unexecuted contracts. It is government’s funds and he has to refund the N670million.”

A few weeks ago, Obaigbena wrote a letter to the anti-graft agency claiming that the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) collected N50 million from the office of the national security adviser.