Former ministers and key officials that served under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan may have additional troubles to deal with as conmen are stated to be exploiting their anxieties over the current administration’s corruption probes.
Hiding under pledges to assist them secure soft-landing from possible corruption probes, some well-placed Nigerians, among them senior members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and security operatives, are stated to be fleecing former ministers and top government officials of the Jonathan administration of millions of naira, The Sun reports.
As stated by a prominent Nigerian who held an influential and strategic position in the last government, some security operatives are inundating him and former ministers with tales of probes by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The former government official, who does not want his name in print, revealed that these ‘facilitators’ have offered to assist the ex-ministers to either stop the probe or to get them a soft landing if they do get investigated, provided the ex-ministers part with a negotiated cash sum.
The informant said: “these days what we see and hear everyday from security men and key members of the ruling party is that this and that probe is going on at EFCC against Jonathan’s men. They will tell you to bring a certain amount of money to enable them stop the probe.
“Out of fear, some of us are acceding to their requests even when we know that some of these stories are made up.”
Corroborating the claims of the former government officials, an aide to one of the former ministers lamented what he described as the “obnoxious development in which some APC members in collusion with people close to the corridors of power were terrorizing members of Jonathan’s cabinet with threats of investigations with a view to extorting money from them. He, however, did not name any APC leader or any well-connected person alleged to be ripping Jonathan’s men off.
As stated by the former government official, the fear that the incumbent administration is after the former President and those who worked with him is growing. He insisted that the fear is genuine, arguing that if President Muhammadu Buhari’s assurances were reliable, some elements in his government and party would not have turned the anti-graft campaign into a platform for extorting monies from ex-ministers and other public officers.
Although the source was forthcoming on the former ministers that have been swindled, he stated the targets were those that handled top grade ministries like Works, Aviation, Transport, Water Resources, Federal Capital Territory and Education.
He stressed that some top members of the PDP were curiously working hand in glove with some dubious APC stalwarts in perpetrating this fraud.
He stated that unless President Muhammadu Buhari establishes a balance in the anti-corruption campaign by redressing what he sees as a skewed clampdown on the opposition, the culture of extortion will persist thereby fuelling hate and more corruption.
The ex-official charged security agencies to be alert to their responsibilities by apprehending fraudsters masquerading as genuine anti-corruption fighters.