Former Permanent Secretary, Abubakar Atiku Kigo

Contrary to popular belief, a former Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Abubakar Atiku Kigo, has insisted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) never found N2 billion cash in his residence in the wake of the police pension scam.

A statement issued Wednesday by an Abuja-based lawyer, Yakubu Musa Argungu, stated that it was indeed unfortunate that many Nigerians had already believed the story.

Argungu, who was quoting Kigo’s lead counsel, Yahaya Mahmoud (SAN), stated that since the false and libelous story was first reported, Kigo had vehemently denied the purported discovery of N2 billion in his house, and had challenged anyone with proof to the contrary to come forward. This denial is also contained in a submission Kigo made to the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service which investigated the pension scam currently rocking the media.

“It is noteworthy that neither the EFCC, the Nigerian Police nor any other security organisation in the country has ever made such report of the alleged N2 billion found. There is also no mention of such recovery in all relevant documents before the court,” Argungu stated.

The lawyer recalled that Kigo left the police pension office about one  and a half years ago, arguing that it was inconceivable that he (Kigo) had been keeping the alleged N2 billion in his house since that period.

“One even wonders the amount of space which N2 billion cash would occupy particularly in a three-bedroom house that hardly has enough space to park a vehicle in the courtyard.

“Although, it is a fact that the continued peddling of this rumour will not, by any stretch of imagination, make Malam Kigo guilty of an offence he has not committed, yet it is capable of misleading the general public into believing a story that is false, baseless and unfounded,” Argungu lamented.