Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, the publisher of This Day newspaper has reportedly returned N350 million as part of the money he received from the Sambo Dasuki, the former national security adviser.
The publisher was implicated in the $2.1 billion arms deal scandal and an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) revealed that he received N670million from the office of the former national security adviser during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan.
Obaigbena had explained that that N120m of the money was given to the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) as compensation after military personnel clamp down on newspapers in 2015.
Some newspapers that received money from the association have started to return their own share of the payment with Leadership newspaper being the latest to return N9 million.
On January 29, 2016, Obaigbena was questioned by a special task force of the EFCC and he was released after he reportedly signed an undertaking to return N670 million in two weeks.
The Punch reports that a top EFCC official revealed that the This Day boss returned N350 million on Tuesday, February 2 and that is expected to return N200 million next week.
The EFCC source said: “The publisher of ThisDay Newspaper, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, has returned N350m out of the N670m he received from the ONSA,” the source in the anti-graft agency told one of our correspondents on Wednesday.
“The publisher is expected to return the rest N200m next week. You know that he signed an undertaking to return the money before they released him. That undertaking expires on Tuesday next week.’’
Members of the newspapers association who have been returning money they received from Obaigbena claimed they were unaware the money was from the office of the former national security adviser
This is becoming quite embarrassing...what a mess
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