An official of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Mr. Samuel Madojemu has revealed the hidden property of former Minister Of Niger-Delta Affairs, Mr. Godsday Orubebe which he failed to declare before the Bureau as a public servant. Read on…

“The defendant declared his assets to the bureau by virtue of his position as a public officer and as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I was instructed to invite him to bureau for the purpose of obtaining his statement on the allegations and intelligence report that was being handled by the bureau concerning him.

“I invited him. He promised to respond by sending his legal team. He also promised that he might decide to come in person but he did not come.

“My Lord, the bureau issued him with Form CCB 1 which is the bureau’s asset declaration form and he made his declaration between 2007 and 2011 – the period under investigation.

“The Code of Conduct Bureau issued the defendant the Form CCB 1 five times. For those five times, he made hs asset declaration to the bureau.

“My Lord, after we received the form, we examined the form as part of our procedures investigation to ascertain if there was over-declaration or under-declaration.

“We conducted intelligence assessment on the declaration made by the defendant. We discovered that there were some other plots or properties that were traced to the defendant, Godsday Orubebe.

“We conducted record examination by writing a letter to the Federal Capital Territory’s Department of Land Administration.

“My Lord, in their response, which was in writing, it was indicated that Plot 2057 Asokoro District for which the Certificate of Occupancy was issued on April 10, 2011, belonged to the defendant.

“We thereafter compared the information arising from response from the FCT land administration department with the information on asset declaration forms submitted to the bureau between 2007 and 2011 and discovered that Plot 2057 Asokoro District belonging to the defendant was not declared even as at May 29, 2011 when he left office.

“Apart from the letter from FCT land admin registry, we also received Certified True Copy of the Certificate of Occupancy in respect of Plot number 2057 issued to the defendant.

“We also received the CTC of the Right of Occupancy for that same Plot No 2057 issued to the defendant.

“Also received from the FCT land administration registry, was a letter of authority, given to one Engineer Rodney by the defendant authorising him to collect the Certificate of Occupancy and the Right of Occupancy from the FCT land registry. It was supported by the (international passport) page of the defendant.”

“My lords, the question we wanted the defendant was to find out why he did not declare plot 2057 for which the C of O was issued to him on April 10, 2011. Whereas for the period under consideration, 2007 to May 29, 2011, when he made those declarations, he did not make the declaration of the property at the end of tenure asset declaration form 2011. He acquired the property while he was still in office.

“But my lord, he promised to send legal representative to the bureau or come in person but he did not come. We afforded him the opportunity but he did not come.”