DailyTrust
A federal agency is protecting former President Goodluck Jonathan’s aide, Kingsley Kuku, from prosecution, Nigeria’s secret service said.
A top official of the Department of State Security (DSS) told Daily Trust Monday that Kuku, who was presidential adviser on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, is being shielded by a federal agency with a mandate of investigating and prosecuting corruption in the country.
The senior official said “it is sad to note that, in the course of our investigation, we discovered that an agency which is also saddled with an investigative authority is rather creating a platform for criminal fugitives.”
“We discovered, in particular, a fugitive who is widely known to have looted our common wealth still has the audacity to use the machinery of that particular agency to harass and hunt adversaries who are aware of his loot and heinous crimes,” the secret service chief said.
“From our findings, we discovered that the agency in reference is now in criminal connivance with fugitive Kingsley Kuku, former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on the Federal Government Amnesty Programme on the Niger Delta,” the official said.
The source said “sadly enough, the agency in question which claims to be investigating the fraud is ironically directly and brazenly facilitating the concealment of the looted several billions of naira belonging to the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme.”
The security chief said Kuku is sponsoring militants activities in the Niger Delta.
“It is rather disturbing that Kingsley Kuku, a fugitive, who is believed to be funding some illegal raids like the one carried out on the residence of former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom NWUCHE, is planning to assume the behind-the-scene leadership of the unified South-South arms struggle to gain relevance in the present government, aimed at avoiding possible searchlight on the atrocities committed during his tenure as Special Adviser for the Amnesty Programme,” the DSS source said.
The official said the former presidential adviser “is also one of the sponsors of the Niger Delta Avengers and the large scale sabotage against the oil pipelines across the Niger Delta (2015 – 2017).
He lamented that “yet this particular agency is working hand in gloves with Kuku, shielding him from the wrath of the law but I’m certain this is an issue that will not be swept under the carpet.”
In April 2016, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Henry Ugbolue and Lawrence Pepple, both former aides to Kuku, before the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
They were arraigned on two separate charges bordering on criminal conspiracy, false declaration of assets and fraudulent acquisition of property to the tune of N55million.
Kuku is currently on self-imposed exile.