Police storm ex-NDDC MD’s residence ahead of appearance before reps panel

July 16, 2020 9:30 am

Officers of the Nigerian police force have stormed the residence of Joy Nunieh, former acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The security agents arrived at the residence (pictured) located at 3, Owuru Creek view, off Herbert Macaulay Street, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers state, early Thursday morning.

The development is coming ahead of Nunieh’s appearance before a house of representatives panel in Abuja investigating the activities of the NDDC.

When TheCable reached Omoni Nnamdi, spokesman of Rivers police command, for comment he requested that he be called back in 30 minutes’ time.

But when the police spokesman was called back he said he was yet to get a report on the siege.

An associate of the ex-NDDC MD shared her message on the incident with TheCable.

”This morning, I started hearing people at my gate at about 4:30am. I was trying to prepare to come down, to catch the first flight to Abuja. So I wondered, then I sent my girl there. She said that it is police people and they said I should follow them,” Nunieh said.

”I said this morning? What if they come and shoot me at 5:00, I am not following anybody.”

Akpabio and Nunieh had appeared before the senate ad hoc panel investigating the alleged mismanagement of N40 billion by the interim management committee (IMC) of the NDDC.

At the hearing, Akpabio said he did not know the expenditure of the NDDC under Nunieh because she refused to give him briefings.

But Nunieh said the minister engineered her removal for failing to dance to his tunes.

The ex-NDDC MD also made several allegations against the minister.

She accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, budget padding, fraud, among others.

Nunieh alleged that the minister asked her to change the dollars in the NDDC account; sack the head of the legal team who is from the north; remove all directors who refused to follow his instructions and also to implicate Peter Nwaoboshi, chairman of the senate committee on NDDC.

She also said Akpabio was awarded 30 contracts before she became the commission’s acting MD.

The Rivers state government had warned that no harm must befall Nunieh, whom it described as its daughter.

Photo credit: ‘Fisayo Soyombo