CBN Looting: FG Asks UK To Retract Allegation Against Gowon

The federal government has asked the United Kingdom to tender an apology to Nigeria over allegation of grand larceny leveled against former military head of state, Yakubu Gowon, by a member to Parliament.

The demand was contained in statement by Ferdinand Nwonye, spokesman of the ministry of foreign affairs.

Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the UK parliament foreign affairs committee, had on Tuesday  accused Gowon of parting with half of Nigeria’s central bank when he left office.

Speaking at the parliament’s recent debate on the #EndSARS crisis, Tugendhat said: “Some people will remember when General Gowon left Nigeria with half of the Central Bank, so it is said, and moved to London.”

However, the MP did not provide any proof to corroborate his assertion.

In the statement on Friday, Nwonye described Tugendhat allegation as ‘unsubstantiated’ and demanded its retraction by the UK government.

He said the ministry, upon learning about the allegation “immediately sought an apology and retraction of the unsubstantiated allegation from the British Government”.

In other to authenticate the veracity of Tugendhat claims, Nwoye said the federal government also  reached out to Charlotte Pierre, head of Africa Department of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, who “expressed strong reservations on the comment of the Parliamentarian”.

The statement quoted Pierre as saying “the said comment of the MP does not reflect the views of Her Majesty’s Government and the British Government has no mechanism for controlling the actions and speeches of members of the Parliament.”

It added that she urged Nigeria to “discountenance the said comment of the MP, as Her Majesty’s Government has nothing to do with it”.

Gowon had “described the MP’s claim as “rubbish”.

He had told the BBC: “What the MP said was just mere ridicule and I don’t know as to where he cooked up such statement. I served Nigeria as much as I could and my achievements during those years are available to everyone.”