15th May, 2012
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday stormed the Lagos-based headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, to arrest the agency’s Managing Director, Mr. George Uriesi, over alleged misappropriation of funds in FAAN.
The arrest attempt was sequel to a petition by Transparency Initiative, a non governmental organisation, which has accused FAAN management of corruption.
Some of the allegations in the petition include $840,000 on aborted training in South Africa, N228 million on repair of three generators, N246 million on operational vehicles, N397 million for renovating three toilets at MMIA Lagos and fraudulent Passengers Service Charge agreement with Oceanic Bank PLC.
P.M.NEWS learnt that The EFCC operatives, who came to the premises at about 10 a.m. yesterday, scurried to the office of FAAN MD but could not find him.
The team comprised four officials in mufti and one uniformed mobile policeman who waited for a while and then left.
When P.M.NEWS contacted Uriesi this morning he accused journalists of conniving with his enemies to smear his name and tarnish his reputation.
He said in text messages: “Too many of you are cash and carry journalists. You have no moral right to accept money from dubious characters to unfairly smear innocent people and defame them in public simply because you are journalists.
“You seem determined to smear me unfairly and tarnish my hard earned reputation simply because you are a journalist… Thank you very much.”
When challenged to name the cash and carry journalists, he did not name them but did not address allegations against him.
—Simon Ateba