A group under the aegis of South-South Youth Leaders, has described the allegations that stamp duty collections amounting to N89trillion were diverted and unaccounted for by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a fabricated plot to force the Governor of the apex bank, Godwin Emefiele, out of office.
The group in a statement by its leader, Comrade John O. Israel, said such allegations were shocking and baseless since the assets of the entire banking industry were less than the amount being taunted.
They alleged that money launderers, vote buyers, election riggers and corrupt politicians were the sponsors of the plot to remove the CBN Governor.
They also alleged that some State Governors, who allegedly looted the bailout funds disbursed to their States and from whom the CBN recovered huge amounts including a Governor from whom the CBN recovered N20billion were allegedly part of those asking for Emefiele’s head.
They further alleged that a $2million basket has been mobilised to organiae media war, smear campaigns and protests against Emefiele.
The group fingered a faction of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and some other groups purportedly mobilised to carry out the protests beginning from the January 9.
The group said, “On the issue of the alleged looted N89 trillion stamp duty fund, the group asked series of questions, how it could be possible that N50 charge on electronic transactions be more than the entire financial transactions in our country? How can they say we have N89 trillion from stamp duty of N50 charge while the entire nation’s foreign reserve is not near that amount? How is it possible that we can have N89 trillion while the entire assets of our nation’s banks, bank profit and all deposit in the banks is not up to that amount?
“How can we have N89 trillion from just N50 charges when the nation’s total budget since 2016 that President Muhammadu Buhari first presented a budget till date is just about N95 Trillion? It means that this amount could have funded all the budget of the country since this administration assumed office. Just how could that be?”
The group, therefore, urged the State Security Service (SSS) to apologise to Mr. Emefiele for the trauma they have put him through, and apologise to President Muhammadu Buhari for opposing his monetary policies.
Also, the group called for the President to authorise the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to institute a criminal inquiry into the latest happenings even as it reiterated its call for the sack of the DG of the SSS so as not to interfere with the investigations.
