Alleged N400bn new notes hoarding: No raid at Tinubu’s private residence — EFCC

…Debunks claim of N400bn discovery

…Report sponsored by opposition to spread fake news against me — Tinubu

…Accuses Labour Party

By Moses Adeniyi

Following alleged hoarding of new Naira notes within his private residence, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has debunked reports that its operatives raided the private residence of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and recovered the sum of N400billion.

The Commission in a statement on Sunday signed by its Head, Media & Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, debunking the report, said no such operation was carried out by the EFCC

The statement reads, “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to a report circulating on social media, claiming that operatives of the Commission raided the home of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the forthcoming presidential elections and recovered a humongous sum of N400billion.

“The Commission wishes to state that no such operation was carried out by the EFCC. The public is enjoined to disregard the report as fake news.”

…Report sponsored by opposition to spread fake news against me —  Tinubu

Meanwhile, in reaction to the report, Tinubu has said the report was the creation of a rogue website and social media handles by the opposition to spread fake news against him.

Director, Media and Publicity, the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Mr Bayo Onanuga said the Council  stumbled on the report on a rogue website, ‘www.igbotimesmagazine.online’, which he said is out to disseminate false and malicious information against Tinubu.

He noted that the dubious website, in its fake story, claimed investigations were still ongoing as to which bank manager made such money available to Tinubu.

“In its latest false news, the site claimed that some EFCC operatives, on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari raided the ‘underground home’ of Tinubu. It claimed that N400 billion of the new notes was recovered from there. The story, which notably lacked the essential ‘when, where and how’ ingredients of any news story, went viral.

“It then admitted its own absurdity when it wrote that ‘the money recovered in Tinubu’s underground house’ is equivalent of ‘the entire money printed for the whole Nigeria’ by the CBN.

“So, if Tinubu alone has all the money printed by Godwin Emefiele’s CBN, how do you account for the billions distributed by the apex bank to all the banks, including operators of POS?

“The site, which on Twitter and Facebook appears to have links with the Labour Party, went further, in another post, to claim that President Muhammadu has ordered the arrest of the bank manager that made the phantom money available to the APC candidate.

“In a previous post two weeks ago, the site had claimed that ‘an angry mob blocked N3 billion of new notes heading to Tinubu’s house.’

“Other fake news on the site included one that claimed the Federal Government planned to borrow money from kidnappers in Kaduna because they have more money than our country. It credited the misleading news to Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture,” he stated.

Onanuga who warned Nigerians to be wary of every piece of news emanating from the site, and its social media handles, said there will be many of such sites as some candidates become desperate to win at all costs, “in fulfilment of some rogue and rigged opinion polls by ANAP Foundation and Nextier, shunning all decent norms and rules.”

“The igbotimesmagazine.online, with its affiliated social media handles exists for no good of our country.

“It is out to misinform and mislead our people and disseminate malicious information on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the run up to the 25 February election, which the opposition candidates, including Peter Obi of Labour Party, are bound to lose.

“We are not surprised that the opposition has embarked on sponsoring a website and social media handles, whose owners are unknown and which lacks physical address or even an email.

“We urge the authorities to fish out the people behind the site, that is recklessly dishing out fake news, before more damage is done to our polity,” he stated.