‘Hidden’ N19.3bn bailout: Kogi govt gives EFCC 48 hours to retract statement

The last may not have been heard about the controversy surrounding the alleged hidden N19.3bn bailout fund in a Kogi State Government account.

The state government on Sunday described as “mischievous, false and politically motivated” the statement credited to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that it has returned the N19.3bn bailout fund allegedly “hidden” by the state to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

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The government, therefore, gave the EFCC a 48-hour ultimatum to retract the statement posted on its Facebook account on November 19, or be prepared for a court action.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, at a press conference in Lagos on Sunday, insisted the money claimed to have been returned to the CBN did not belong to the state.

But the Kogi State Government said the matter was not yet closed as it maintained its innocence on the alleged hidden fund and asked the EFCC to retract the comment and apologise to the government and Governor Yahaya Bello.