Dopkesi admits collecting N2.1b payments for political adverts

By OKOSUN OKHUELEIGBE

The embattled Chief Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi, the founder of Daar Communication owner of Ray Power radio and African Independent Television (AIT) has explained what he knew about the allegation of money he was said to have collected from the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki and what happened at the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday.

In a statement signed by the management of DAAR Communications Plc, said that about 2.00pm on Tuesday, the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Alhaji Ibrahim Magu, through a phone call, invited him to the Commission.

It was revealed that on getting there, Dokpesi was requested to, “Shed more light on some payments that were made to him through the office of the erstwhile National Security Adviser to the former President, Malam Sambo Dasuki.”

He was said to have explained to the EFCC officials that the N2.1 billion that he collected from the former NSA was payment for publicity and media political campaigns during the 2015 General Elections.

Dokpesi “made his statement on the various media exposures and campaign transactions which were dutifully carried out based essentially on contractual obligations/relationship.”

It was however not disclosed how the office of the National Security Adviser became the cashier office responsible for the disbursement of moneys met for political campaign and publicity expenses by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

A special investigative panel set up by the Presidency to unravel how billions of dollars appropriated for the procurement of arms for the prosecution of war against insurgency were siphoned or used for other purpose such fund were not met had submitted its reports in November and indicted the former NSA, Dasuki to President Goodluck Jonathan.

An interim reports allegedly reported phoney contracts in excess of $2 billion leading up to the arrest of Raymond Dokpesi and Attihiru Bafarawa on Tuesday by the EFCC.