Jonathan’s godson threatens EFCC with N10bn suit

Mr . George Turnah , the embattled businessman
and godson of former President Goodluck
Jonathan , has threatened to slam N10 bn
defamation suit on the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission .

Turner , who is currently detained at Port
Harcourt Prison in Rivers State is being
investigated by the anti – graft agency for alleged
involvement in a case of obtaining money by
false pretence, money laundering and abuse of
office .

He is also being investigated for being in
possession of funds running into N2 bn
allegedly siphoned from the Niger Delta
Development Commission while serving there
as an Adviser on Youths between 2012 and
2015 .

The EFCC operatives , led by the Zonal Head of
the Commission, Mr . Ishaq Salihu , were
recently in Bayelsa State to enforce an order of
interim forfeiture of buildings and other
property belonging to Turner by the Federal
High Court sitting in Port Harcourt .
But Turner has written to the EFCC claiming
that he was innocent of allegations of
corruption levelled against him by the
commission .

He gave the anti – graft agency seven days to pay
him N100 m compensation and tender public
apology to him for what he described as a
media trial that had tarnished his image.
At the expiration of the ultimatum , Turner in
the letter dated May 30 , 2017 , threatened to
slam N10 bn defamation suit on the
commission .

Also , Turner, in the letter by Amuda Kannike
( SAN) & Co signed by O. N. Anugbum denied
getting multiple contracts from the NDDC .
He asked the Managing Director , NDDC , to
release details of the contracts and make
clarifications on the alleged jobs he secured
such as the building of Ogbia Brotherhood
Village and electrification of Ogbia , but failed
to execute them.

Relying on the Freedom of Information Act, the
33 – year – old, whose properties had been placed
on temporary forfeiture by EFCC , appealed to
NDDC to make public details of the projects .
He demanded names of the companies that got
the projects , the scope of the job , monetary
valuations of the said contracts , and the
amount of money released so far to the
contractors.

Turner insisted that the Zonal Head of EFCC ,
South South, Mr . Ishaq Salihu , made
defamatory statements and publication against
him .

He said that Salihu , on May 23 , 2017 , at the
zonal headquarters of EFCC in Port Harcourt ,
Rivers State , addressed a group of protesters
accusing him of contributing to the under –
development of Niger Delta by receiving and
refusing to execute a number of projects from
the NDDC .

The letter reads in part , “ In the light of the
foregoing and in the spirit of second chance , we
have our client ’ s instructions to give you an
ultimatum of seven days from the receipt / date
of this letter to issue an apology in three
national dailies, your Facebook page, two
widely read blog sites and payment of N100m
compensatory damage to avoid a N10 bn
defamation suit. ”

Turner also sent a similar letter to a blogger ,
claiming that his Facebook publications
misrepresented the matter and lowered his
reputation in the eyes of the public.
He demanded similar compensation from the
blogger threatening to initiate a similar N10 bn
law suit against him .

Turner , who is facing trial over allegations of
corruption , has filed applications seeking bail
and reversal of an interim order of forfeiture of
his properties issued by the FHC in Port
Harcourt .