Chairman of ThisDay Newspaper and President of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, Tuesday submitted himself to EFCC investigators, who are probing the alleged misappropriation of funds for the purchase of arms by the former National Security Adviser, retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki.
Obaigbena had earlier acknowledged that he received N670 million from the former NSA. He said N500 million was paid to ThisDay as compensation for the terrorists bombing of the Abuja bureau of the newspaper by the Boko Haram, and that N170 million was distributed as compensation to at least 12 newspapers companies whose circulation was disrupted by the military when it seized copies of papers and obstructed circulation operations.
Obaigbena had earlier in a phone conversation with THEWILL insisted that the funds received from the NSA were not from the funds earmarked to purchase military hardware to fight the Boko Haram. He said the NSA had over N30 billion in its budget in the last two years to support the payments made to his company and other newspapers.
As at the time of writing this report, THEWILL was unable to independently confirm whether Obaigbena had departed the Abuja facility of the anti-graft agency.
-Thewill
