Barely four days after the arrest of the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), his family, the Obi-Ezeani-Nnewi- has expressed concern over his continued incarceration.
Chief Gilbert Metuh on behalf of the family, in a statement, said they regretted that whereas the charges for which their son was being detained have not been formally made public, some sensational publications in a section of the media claim that the PDP spokesperson collected N1.4 billion from the arms deal cash and has been collecting N4 million monthly from the office of the former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
The family disclosed how they confronted Metuh with the allegations and he assured that they were completely false.
According to the family, he, however, acknowledged that in the course of his duties as the national publicity secretary of the PDP, the then leader of the party and president of the country, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan directed him to carry out some urgent national assignments relating to his office, which the former president funded and which he duly carried out to his satisfaction.
Part of the statement reads: “The family, therefore, views publications bandying N1.4 billion and alleged collection of N4 million stipend from the office of the NSA as deliberate blackmail aimed at inflaming public sentiments against our son.
“Our biggest concern for now is the health and safety of our son, who, even before his arrest, has alerted the nation about various threats to his life, a stance that is not unconnected to his position as the spokesperson of the opposition. Our position is more so as he has refused to eat following fears of intentions to poison him in detention.
“In view of the above therefore, we demand that the EFCC immediately release our son, Chief Metuh (Ugochidebelu Nnewi) from detention or charge him to court.”
The PDP spokesman who was arrested by four operatives of the anti-graft agency from his Abuja home, spent the first night with his interrogators at the headquarters of the EFCC, where he answered questions on how N1.4 billion was paid from the account of the office of the national security adviser into a
According to EFCC officials, the revelation by Metuh prompted the agency to beam its searchlight on cash payments from the office of the national security adviser, leading to the discovery that he was one of the major beneficiaries of slush funds, now a subject of investigation and prosecution by the Federal Government.
It was learnt that out of the $2.1 billion arms funds, N400 million was transferred from office of the national security adviser to the company on November 24, 2014 which previously had a balance of N6, 676,576.06 only before the major transfer from the office of the national security adviser.
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