Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers has declared that the $43million dollars and other monies uncovered in a luxury apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos, belong to the State Government.

Consequently, the Governor gave the Federal Government an ultimatum of 7 days to return the monies or risk legal action.

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had on Thursday ordered the temporary forfeiture of the money-  $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000, uncovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission at an apartment in the Ikoyi area of Lagos on Wednesday to the Federal Government.

There have been speculations about the real owner of the money, especially on the social media. Social media handles linked to officials of Nigeria’s opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP had especially claimed that the luxury apartment where the huge stash of cash was discovered belonged to the former governor of Rivers State and current minister of transport, Rotimi Amaechi.

The Minister was first linked to the cash by an aide of Ekiti State governor, Lere Olayinka. Former Minister of Aviation and PDP chieftain, Femi Fani-Kayode repeated the claim on his twitter account on Friday morning.

But David Iyofor, a media aide to Amaechi has strongly denied the claims as he affirmed that the former Rivers State Governor has no house in Lagos. A story in an online newspaper on Friday evening indicated that Nigeria’s National Intelligence Agency, NIA is laying claim to the monies.

Head of NIA,  the newspaper reported had in the wake of the raid gone to meet President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa to explain how the raw cash was given to the agency to carry out an undisclosed covert operation by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Wike (left) says Amaechi (right) of is the owner of the uncovered fund

But  Wike said investigations revealed that the money was realised  from the sale of the state’s gas turbines by the immediate past Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

Addressing journalists at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday night, Governor Wike said: “The money in question belongs to the former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. We want to confirm that the houses in Ikoyi also belong to Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

“If you recollect in 2015, we said that gas turbines built by Former Governor Peter Odili were sold to Sahara Energy, business partners of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi at $319million.

“That money was used to sponsor the All Progressives Congress for the 2015 general elections. From the date of sale of the gas turbines to May 29, 2015, the money depleted from $319million to $204,000. What was stashed at the Ikoyi residence was part of that fund”.

He said: “We have facts to prove that the said money belongs to the Rivers State Government. The Federal Government must return our money”.

Wike added that claims that the money belongs to the National Intelligence Agency is false and mere face-saving measures by the embattled APC Federal Government.

“As I speak to you, the Federal Government is so embarrassed that this has happened. All the stories that the money belongs to the NIA are fake,” Wike said while challenging the Federal Government to set up a panel of Inquiry, which will sit publicly to investigate the money, if it doubted the claim of the Rivers State Government.

According to him, the Rivers State Government needs the money to complete an array of projects, insisting that on no account would this criminal activity be swept under the carpet.

The governor said as long as the Federal Government continues to disturb the progress of Rivers State, so long will God throw the Federal Government into confusion.

“We are giving them seven days to return our money. Otherwise, we would take legal action to recover our money. $43million will help us complete several projects. We need that money for projects”, he said.