Claim That Gowon ‘Looted Half Of CBN’ Is Outright Falsehood’ – Shehu Sani

Shehu Sani, a former member of the National Assembly, has reacted to a negative claim about an erstwhile Nigerian leader, Yakubu Gowon, which made by a member of the United Kingdom Parliament, Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge and Malling) on Monday.

Tom Tugendhat, on Monday, November 23, had alleged that the former Nigerian Head of State, General Gowon, left Nigeria with half the Central Bank and moved to London.

He made the allegation during the House deliberation on the aftermath of the EndSARS protest, and possible sanctions to be meted on top Nigerians regarding the roles they played in the killing of unarmed protesters at the Lekki toll gate.

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He said, “What we are seeing in Nigeria today is part of that story. It is a tragedy we are all witnessing because we see things falling apart.

“The problem this time is not foreign pressure known as colonialism. The pressure instead is corruption and violence and attempts at control (of power).

“We need to call out the corruption, we need to use the powers that we have in this country to stop those who are profiting from the wealth of that great nation and hiding it here.

“Now some people will remember when General Gowon left Nigeria, he took half of the Central Bank, so it is said, and moved to London.

“We know today, even now in this great city of ours, there are sadly some people who have taken the wealth of Nigerian people and hidden their ill-gotten gains here.

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“We know that our banks sadly have been used for that profit or that illegal transfer of asset and that means that the UK is in a unique position in being able to actually do something to really exert pressure on those who have robbed Nigerians.”

Reacting via his verified Twitter handle, Sani described the allegation as ‘nothing but outright falsehood’.

The former legislator from Kaduna said Gowon exited power with no evidence of wealth.

He tweeted: “General Yakubu Gowon; The claim of ‘looting the CBN’ made by the British Minister for Africa as represented by Mr James Duddridge against Gen Gowon is nothing but outright falsehood. Gowon exited power without any evidence of wealth & that remains, for over four decades after power.”

General Yakubu Gowon;The claim of ‘looting the CBN’ made by the British Minister for Africa as represented by Mr James Duddridge against Gen Gowon is nothing but outright falsehood.Gowon exited power without any evidence of wealth & that remains,for over four decades after power.

— Senator Shehu Sani (@ShehuSani) November 24, 2020