‘I don’t have personal links to those accounts’ — Ambode speaks on seizure of N9.9bn

Akinwunmi Ambode, former governor of Lagos state, says he does not have personal links to the accounts where N9.9 billion was frozen.

On Tuesday, a federal high court in Lagos ordered the freezing of three bank accounts belonging to the state government over an alleged fraud of N9.9 billion fraud when Ambode was in office.

The order was sequel to an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The anti-graft agency said it is prosecuting one Adewale Adesanya who was a permanent secretary in the office of the chief of staff to the governor, for alleged money laundering.

In a statement on Friday, Habib Aruna, media aide to the former governor, said the three accounts frozen belong to the state.

Aruna explained that the accounts were opened for “administrative purposes and not for the former governor’s personal transactions” adding that a statement by the EFCC linking Ambode to the accounts “is misleading.”

“Those accounts were opened in the course of normal operations by the Lagos state government for its administrative purposes and not for the former governor’s personal transactions as was being wrongly insinuated and have been operated to ensure smooth operations of government activities by previous and present administrations,” he said.

“The former governor was not and will never be involved in any unauthorized use of government property and resources.

“We strongly believe that after four demanding years as Chief Executive of Lagos State, Mr. Ambode is entitled to some deserved rest with his family and loved ones without the unwarranted attacks on his well-earned reputation.”

He said the former governor is committed to “the ideals of President Muhammadu Buhari and the founding fathers of the party for the attainment of the next level for Nigeria.”