Obaigbena, has denied collecting any illegal money from
former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo
Dasuki.
The publisher was one of the people fingered as the
beneficiaries of the sum of $2.1 billion meant for
acquisition of arms but was allegedly mismanaged by the
former NSA.
Prominent Nigerians already fingered in the arms deal
scandal include the Chairman of DAAR Communications
Limited, Chief Raymond Dokpesi; former Sokoto State
governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa; former Director of
Finance at the Office of the NSA, Mr. Shuaibu Salisu;
former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples
Democratic Party, Chief Tony Anenih, and Senator Iyorchia
Ayu, among others.
Explaining his role in a letter he addressed to the Chairman
of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),
Obaigbena admitted collecting a total sum of N670 million
from the office of the former NSA, N550 million of which he
said was compensation for the Kaduna and Abuja offices of
ThisDay newspaper burnt by Boko Haram insurgents on
Thursday April 26, 2012.
The balance of N120 million, Obaigbena, who is the
President of Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria
(NPAN), said, were compensations for the various
newspaper houses whose bundles and copies were seized
at different locations by security agents in the middle of
last year
Giving details of his company’s losses in the burning of its
Kaduna and Abuja offices, Obaigbena recalled that “four
innocent Nigerian lives were lost, our buildings (were)
destroyed and we lost full colour Goss printing towers and
three pre-press computer-to-plate and auxiliary equipment
and other (in)valuable property valued at over N2.5 billion.
“This is aside from daily costs to pay third party printers of
over N1 billion, having lost our printing facility to terrorists
due to inadequate protection by the Federal Government of
Nigeria.
“The bombing of ThisDay offices followed the Abuja United
Nations Building bombing for which the Federal
Government has so far spent N3 billion for reconstruction
and much more earmarked for furnishing.”
He recalled that 12 newspapers had demanded
compensation “for the brutal and unlawful seizure of
newspapers and stoppage of circulation by armed soldiers
in Abuja and several cities.
“As President of the NPAN, it was my duty to lead media
leaders to hold discussions with President Goodluck
Jonathan to avert a class action lawsuit against the armed
forces and the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
He added: “On both occasions, President Jonathan said he
did not wish to lay precedence and in our case, he
specifically said there were many victims of Boko Haram.
“I had to confront President Jonathan on the issue when I
learnt of approvals for the reconstruction of the Abuja
United Nations Building, since we were the second major
organisation to be attacked by Boko Haram after the UN
attack.
“He therefore directed me to meet the National Security
Adviser who processed the three payments in question.”
Obaigbena, who said he was writing from the US, said he
would be making his way to Nigeria to meet the EFCC
chairman if the latter required further information.
