The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee has issued a warning that it will summon top government officials, including the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, due to the alleged loss of $2.4 billion from the illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil.
The committee, led by Mark Gbillah, invited Malami and other officials, such as the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, to participate in their investigation into recoveries from whistleblowers and expenditures, but they failed to attend the Wednesday hearing.
The committee has given the officials one last chance to appear before them and provide information on the inflows from recoveries from whistleblowers. Chairman Gbillah emphasized that if they do not comply, the officials will be summoned, and further statutory powers will be exercised.
The lawmakers have noted that the AGF and finance minister have failed to respond to any correspondence from the committee. The Accountant General has provided documents that indicate payments have been made to whistleblowers, but there is no evidence to show that the monies were spent in accordance with relevant laws.
Overall, the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee is taking this issue seriously and is determined to get to the bottom of it, even if it means summoning top government officials to testify.