As
controversy continues to trail the release of looters’ list by the Federal
Government in the last one week, there are strong indications that government
is compiling fresh names of people alleged to have looted the nation’s
treasury.
Punch
correspondents learnt that the fresh list might contain names of those who have
yet to be arraigned in courts for corruption.
The
list may also include names of former governors, ministers and even bankers.
The
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had in the past said
55 persons stole N1.34tn under the administration of former President Goodluck
Jonathan. Last week, he released 29 names, who he said took money from the
office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sabo Dasuki (retd.).
Many
of the names he released were, however, those already undergoing trial for
alleged corruption while the names of members of the former ruling party, the
Peoples Democratic Party, who had defected to the ruling All Progressives
Congress were conspicuously omitted from the list.
The
two lists contained names of those in the main opposition party, the PDP. The
PDP had subsequently criticised the government, accusing it of being biased and
diverting attention from its alleged incompetence.
But
a source close to the Presidency, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told one
of Punch correspondents in Abuja on Friday, that the government, through the
Ministry of Information and Culture, would soon release another list.
He
said that the next batch would be more comprehensive and would contain the
names of those who either took money from the office of the former NSA or
directly from the Federal Government before the 2015 elections.
He
said the government was aware of the controversy that surrounded the release of
the first two lists, adding that the names of some persons considered to be
close to the government could be in the third list.
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