Reps summon Malami, Zainab Ahmed over payment of $200m for ‘consultancy services’

A house of representatives committee has summoned Abubakar Malami, minister of justice; and Zaina Ahmed, the minister of finance, over an alleged payment of $200 million to two companies for “consultancy service”.

Mark Gbillah, chairman of the committee investigating the alleged loss of $2.4 billion in revenue from the illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil, issued the summon during a public hearing on Wednesday.

Last week, the committee had invited Malami and Ahmed over the missing funds.

Gbillah had said it received reports that Malami — also the attorney general of the federation — received funds outside the country through the whistleblower policy, but did not remit it to the federation account.

He also said the minister of finance approved payments to whistleblowers which were not in accordance with what the policy stipulates.

However, the duo shunned the committee and refused to show up.

In a fresh invitation of the ministers on Wednesday, the chairman of the committee said a whistleblower informed the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) that Malami approved the payment of the $200 million to two private companies — Biz Plus and GSCL for “consultancy services.”

According to Gbillah, funds suspected to be looted are being moved through the office of the accountant general of the federation (OAGF).

He described the development as “unconstitutional”, adding that the latest summon would be the final notice to the ministers; and the committee may be forced to invoke its constitutional power of warrant of arrest.

“There was an incident about a whistleblower who made a formal report to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) about $200 million paid into two companies account Biz Plus, and GSCL allegedly for consultancy services, which allegedly were approved by the attorney general’s office on the approval of Mr. president,” Gbillah said.

“We have looked at the functions of the attorney general’s office and we have not seen any statutory powers provided for the attorney general by the constitution to determine how Nigeria’s money should be spent.

“We need the honourable minister of finance, and the attorney general of the federation to appear before this house to provide clarity on the inflows that have come in from whistleblowers’ recoveries, and about these monies that were recovered.”

In December 2022, the house set up the ad hoc committee to investigate a whistleblower’s claims that 48 million barrels of Bonny light crude were illegally sold in China in 2015.

The committee was also to investigate all crude oil exports and sales by Nigeria from 2014 till date.