Following the seal off of the House Committee on Appropriation secretariat by agents of Nigeria’s secret service, SSS, the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Leo Ogor has posited that the State Security Service, SSS, involvement in the budget padding crisis is unwarranted.
Mr. Ogor maintained that the involvement of the Police alongside the EFCC and ICPC was enough to handle the situation and investigate the alleged scandal thoroughly.
Mr. Ogor’s remark came after the former chairman of House Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin announced the submission of Petitions to security agencies to investigate the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara along with other principal members of the House implicated in the budget padding scandal.
Mr. Ogor while speaking to news agency, Premium Times on Saturday said: “The right authority to investigate this matter is the Nigeria Police and not the State Security Service but because my name is involved, I would go to any extent to clear my name.”
He added: “The internal security of the nation is the function of the SSS. This is clearly the work of the Nigeria Police. EFCC can also investigate the matter.”
Ogor, addressing allegations made by Jibrin that he was living above his income said: “it is very insulting for anybody to tell me I’m living above my means because I live in Apo Legislative Quarters for 14 years.”
He continued: “Is it because I’m not living in Maitama or Asokoro?”
While urging Nigerians to dismiss allegations made by Jibrin over the budget padding scandal, Ogor noted: “The president said ‘I won’t sign until I see the details.’”
He continued: “So, the question you’re supposed to ask yourself is, why did the president refuse to sign the budget? Because the budget was mutilated.
“When the president returned the budget back the budget was now referred to the National Assembly. The National Assembly set up an ad hoc committee to now restore the budget from that mutilated nature.”
Clearing his connection with the budget and allegation. He said: “Do I have access to appropriation? For Christ sake, let all of us grow up, somebody is busy lying there and everybody has accepted.”