How N250 Million Was Recovered from Peter Obi’s Apapa Office in 2009
In 2009, an investigation was launched into the alleged N250 million Anambra State money that was recovered in a private office of the then Governor Peter Obi in Apapa, Lagos.
It was revealed that on a fateful Sunday in 2009, eagle-eyed policemen in Lagos received a tip-off from one of Governor Obi’s aides that a large sum of money was being conveyed to the Governor’s private company at Aerodrome road in Apapa, Lagos.
The Lagos State Police Commissioner, Marvel Akpoyibo, swiftly led a team of officers, including the Area Commander in Apapa, to the company to investigate the matter.
The Police instructed one of the Governor’s aides to inform him of their intention to inspect the vehicles, but Governor Obi allegedly directed his aides not to open the vehicles until he arrived in Lagos. The Commissioner of Police, however, deployed policemen to guard the vehicles until the Governor’s arrival.
Upon Governor Obi’s arrival, the Police Commissioner insisted that the vehicles must be thoroughly searched in the presence of everyone, citing a tip-off about arms and ammunition being stockpiled for the 2010 election in Anambra State.
Governor Obi, reportedly uncomfortable with the directive, eventually capitulated and directed his aides to open the vehicle, leading to the discovery of the whopping sum of N250 million.
The Governor claimed that the money belonged to Anambra State and was meant for payment to one of their contractors who wanted cash.
However, when questioned by the Police about why such a large amount of money was being paid in cash instead of by draft or cheque, Governor Obi allegedly failed to provide a reasonable answer.
The Inspector-General of Police, Sir Mike Okiro, was quickly alerted, and he directed that the money be paid back into Anambra State Government’s account without delay. The following day, the Commissioner of Police and Governor Obi reportedly moved to Spring Bank, where the money was deposited into the state government’s account, and a photocopy of the deposit slip was made and handed over to the Commissioner of Police.
The Police investigation was fueled by suspicions that Governor Obi was planning to travel out of the country a week after the money was intercepted, which he eventually did.
The Inspector-General of Police, citing preliminary investigations that revealed a case of money laundering against the Governor, directed the Force Criminal Investigations Department to take over the case and unravel the mystery surrounding the movement of the cash from Anambra State to Lagos.
