Ikoyi $43m: Wike claims ownership, gives FG seven-day ultimatum to return funds

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has given the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum to return the $43 million found in a luxury apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos to the Rivers State Government, failure which the state government  will take legal measures to ensure  that it gets back her stolen  resources
Wike also declared that the $43million dollars found in the luxury apartment in Ikoyi belongs to the Rivers State Government.
He said that investigation by the state government revealed  that the money was proceed from the sale of gas turbines by the immediate past Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
Addressing journalists at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday night, Wike said: “The money in question  belongs to the former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.  We want to confirm that the houses in Ikoyi also belong to Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
“If you recollect in 2015, we said that gas turbines built by former Governor Peter Odili were sold to Sahara Energy, business partners of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi at $319 million.
“That money was used to sponsor the All Progressives Congress for the 2015 general elections. From the date of sale of the gas turbines to May 29, 2015, the money depleted from $319 million to $204,000. What was stashed at the Ikoyi residence  was part of that fund.
“We have facts to prove that the said money belongs to the Rivers State Government.  The Federal Government must return our money”.
Wike said all the stories being peddled about the money belonging to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are false and mere face saving measures by the embattled APC Federal Government.
He said: “As I speak to  you, the Federal Government  is so embarrassed that this has happened.  All the stories  that the money belongs to the NIA are fake”.
Wike  challenged the Federal Government to  set up  a panel of Inquiry, which will sit publicly to investigate  the money, if it doubted the claim of the Rivers State Government.
He stated that the Rivers State Government  needs the money to complete an array  of projects, insisting that “on no account would this criminal  activity be swept  under the carpet”.
The governor said as long as the Federal Government continues to disturb the progress of Rivers State, so long will God throw the Federal Government  into confusion.
“We are giving them seven  days to return  our money. Otherwise, we would  take legal action  to recover our money. $43 million  will help us complete  several  projects.  We need that money for projects”, he said.