From Fred Itua, Abuja
A regional group, South-South Youth Leaders, has described allegations that stamp duty collection amounting to N89 trillion was diverted and unaccounted for by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a fabricated plot to force the Governor, Godwin Emefiele, out of office.
The group in a statement by its leader, John O Israel, said such allegations were shocking and baseless since the assets of the entire banking industry were less than the amount being taunted.
They alleged that money launderers, vote buyers, election riggers and corrupt politicians are the sponsors of the plot to remove the CBN Governor.
They also alleged that some Governors who looted the bailout funds to their states from whom the CBN recovered huge amounts including a Governor from whom the CBN recovered N20 Billion are part of those asking for Emefiele’s head.
They further alleged that a $2 million basket has been mobilised to organise media smear campaigns and protests.
It fingered an illegal faction of the National Youth Council of Nigeria and some others purportedly mobilised to carry out these protests beginning from the 9th of January.
The group said: “On the issue of the alleged looted N89 trillion stamp duty fund, the group asked a series of questions, how it could be possible that the N50 charge on electronic transactions be more than the entire financial transactions in our country? How can they say we have N89 trillion from stamp duty of N50 charge while the entire nation’s foreign reserve is not near that amount? How is it possible that we can have N89 trillion while the entire assets of our nation’s banks, bank profit and all deposit in the banks is not up to that amount?
“How can we have N89 trillion from just N50 charges when the nation’s total budget since 2016 when President Muhammadu Buhari first presented a budget to date is just about N95 trillion? It means that this amount could have funded all the budget of the country since this administration assumed office. Just how could that be?”
The group urged the Department of State Services (DSS), to apologise to Emefiele for the trauma they have put him through, apologise to President Muhammadu Buhari for opposing his policies and show support.
Also, the group called for the President to authorise the Attorney General of the Federation to institute a criminal inquiry into the latest happenings and reiterated its call for the sack of the DG of the DSS so as not to interfere with investigations.