Northern Group Alleges Smear Campaign Against Ex-Perm Sec

The Northeast Concerned Citizens (NECC) has warned against campaign of calumny against a retired permanent secretary, Dr Muhammad Dikwa. It cautioned against irresponsible use of the media to assassinate characters.

The group in a statement by its national president, Ambassador Umar Mohammad, said the allegation that scavengers carted away $4 million from $76 million cash haul stockpiled in an Abuja apartment by Aisha Odariko and the ex-permanent secretary was untrue.

He said if the allegation of money being piled up in a residential building was true, the narrative presented had suggested that the writer could be among the so-called scavengers who perpetrated the robbery operation.

According to him, the medium could be using the story to divert attention from the authorities’ investigation.

“Second, it is suspicious how the writer arrived at the conclusion that Dr Dikwa owned the claimed stockpiled loot or had an affair with NDIC Manager Aisha Odariko based solely on the statement provided by her driver.

“The said driver was found by the police to have led the criminal gang in breaking into a residential property in Apo District of Abuja.

”The publisher unwittingly displayed the clear political motivation behind this report when it listed Dr. Dikwa’s achievements,” he said.

Mohammad said the report failed to mention the name of the security agency responsible for investigating the alleged stockpiled looted public funds.

He added that the purported scavengers were now at large, having escaped from prison custody.

According to him, the story is rife with inconsistencies, leading one to suspect that this is indeed corruption fighting back.

“Otherwise, we see no reason why an incident that they allegedly occurred in 2020 is now being repackaged and circulated.

“Many Nigerians can attest to the extent of the loopholes regarding ghost workers and other forms of massive public corruption within the civil service, which Dikwa’s initiatives had addressed in Nigerian public institutions.

“Throughout his career as a civil and public servant, Dikwa has not been indicted for any form of corruption, and no money was reported missing under his watch. Consequently, he has received numerous national and international service awards,” he said.