By Chinyere Aruogu
The flat occupied by former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi was among the ones which operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) searched over the weekend in Lagos as the search for hidden cash in the place continues.
The EFCC got a court order to extend the search to other flats based on fresh fear that some of them must still be habouring cash in millions of local and foreign currencies.
Last week the operatives recovered more than $38million, N23million and 27,000 Pound Sterling from one of the flats in Osborn Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Obi and his wife, Margaret who lives in the place, were not in Nigeria when the EFCC called but the former governor reportedly made available keys to the house to them, according to his media aide, Valentine Obienyen.
The media aide to the former Governor confirmed the searching by the EFCC of the Flat 1 occupied by Obi in the building where the agency had earlier discovered large sums of money – Flat 7B.
Obienyem, who revealed that the ex-governor resides in Onitsha, said that the rented apartment was by Obi’s wife and that the former governor usually stayed there anytime he was in Lagos.
Obienyem who cautioned against mischief makers seeking fault in Obi, pointed out that the tenants in the building were also searched.
His words: “Even though Mr. and Obi had travelled to the USA and the U.K., when we relayed the message of the search to him, he quickly sent the keys to the 4-bedroom apartment to the EFCC via courier. He even left instructions that we should allow them to also search his Onitsha residence should there be need for that. After the thorough search, nothing was found in the apartment.”
Obienyem added that during the search one of the operatives of the EFCC was overheard doubting if the apartment had anything to do with Obi, citing the fact that it was the simplest in terms of furnishing. One of them told him “ebi like say you no no the man? You no no say the man still dey enter economy for plane; dey sleep in cheap hotels and no dey chop money nor allow those close to him to chop. Which kind Governor or him wife go come rent apartment built by follow former governor after governing a state for eight years? Dey say apart from being a firmer governor, the man dey wealthy. “