SSS stops Aondoakaa from travelling abroad

Security agents on Saturday night reportedly stopped a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Aondoakaa (SAN) from traveling abroad.The operatives, believed to be from the State Security Service, were said to have accosted Aondoakaa at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja where he was waiting to board a flight to Europe.
It was gathered that the operatives stopped the trip on the grounds that the former minister wanted to violate a Presidency’s directive that all members of the recently dissolved cabinet should not travel out of the country without permission.

A source told our correspondents that Aondoakaa whose international passport was allegedly seized by the SSS men, was aware of the directive but chose to flout it.

The purpose for which he wanted to travel abroad could not be ascertained as at 9.40pm on Sunday.

Another source also told one of our correspondents on Sunday that Aondoakaa insisted when he was accosted by the operatives that he had a constitutional right to travel.

The source added that the former minister, who could not believe "that he could be stopped" from travelling out of the country, was likely to apply for permission to travel.

Attempts by our correspondents to confirm the development from the SSS Director-General, Mr Afarkiya Gadzama, were not successful. Calls put to his mobile telephone line rang out.

Aondoakaa could also not be reached on the telephone on Sunday night but one his aides, who asked not be named confirmed the development.

The former minister was one of the ex-FEC members who openly opposed the move to make Dr. Goodluck Jonathan an Acting President. He had stoutly defended his actions, saying that "any Attorney-General worth his salt" would do the same.

Before Jonathan became Acting President in February, Aondoaaka had applied for the release of N50m to enable him travel abroad to launder Nigeria’s image in the wake of Farouk Abdulmuttallab’s alleged attempt to bomb a United States airline in December.

The request was a subject of controversy at the Ministry of Finance, which was supposed to release the funds.

The former minister had claimed late January that he obtained a presidential approval to undertake the trip to four countries.

The Abdulmutallab saga and the sectarian crisis in Jos, Plateau State had then provoked undue negative foreign focus on Nigeria .

However, what was not clear was when ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua made the approval as no public official had seen him after November 24, 2009 when he jetted out to Saudi Arabia.

It was gathered that the N50m request was addressed to the then Minister of Finance, Dr. Mansur Muktar, and the Minister of State of Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola.

The Director-General, Budget Office, Dr. Bright Okogu, had confirmed on the telephone then that Aondoaaka made the request.

Okogu had said, "Well, I don’t specifically remember if it was approved because so many requests were made during that period and many of them were turned down.

"However, I will find out from my staff and get back to you."

But Okogu didn’t get back to our correspondent.

Some of the 28 former ministers that were not re-appointed by Jonathan are currently being probed for their activities during the period that Yar’Adua was out of the country for medical treatment.

However, the names of the affected ex-ministers and offences they might have committed are not yet public knowledge.

Besides, the spending of security votes within the period under review is being investigated.
Some of the funds were reportedly traced to bank accounts in Mauritius, South-Africa and the Isle of Man.
 *The news story was originally published by the PUNCH newspaper, Nigeria

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });