…how they broke doors and carted away with N18Million, $19, 000 and 4000 Saudi Riyal
When police officers on Thursday raided the Abuja residence of the Chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriation, Danjuma Goje (APC-Gombe), they broke several doors and drawers as they fished for incriminating evidence.
Findings according to Premium Times showed that Mr. Goje was in his office at the National Assembly working on the 2017 budget proposal when he was called that a police team had stormed his house.
One of his aides, who witnessed the police raid, informed revealed that the “high number of gun wielding officers arrived the House some minutes after 4 p.m. “and said they had a warrant to search the house”.
He said the officers did not bother to ask if the senator was in the house, show anyone the search warrant or say what evidence they were looking for.
“They just scattered everything”, the aide recalled.
“They began by going through his side (his part of the building), including his private office. They broke down every door that was locked.
“Another group went to his wife’s area because the family is not in town and they also broke some of the doors and drawers and carried much stuff from there,” he said.
The aide, who declined to be named because he did not have Mr. Goje’s permission to speak to the press, recalled that the police team did not leave the house until after almost four hours. He confirmed that several documents including those relating to Mr. Goje’s work at the Senate were taken away.
“They did not call the senator or ask us of his whereabouts. As we speak, I can confidently tell you no word has come from the police or anyone regarding what happened in the house, he said.
“We are all shocked over this development, coming at a time a committee is in place from the Executive trying to resolve the differences that exist between the two arms of government,” another aide standing close by interjected.
“Senator Goje is a senior member of the Senate and this action by the police may affect the relationship between the two arms,” he said.
The Federal Executive Council recently constituted a committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to discuss with the National Assembly leadership so as to resolve the frosty relationship between both arms of government.
Asked if it was true that a large sum of money was found in the house, the aides, who witnessed the search, confirmed that the police officers took away with them N18 million, $19,000 and 4,000 Saudi Riyal in cash.
The total value of the money recovered is about N24 million based on the Central Bank’s official rate.
