Money Laundering: Gov. Akpabio’s LG Boss Nabbed in US The chairman Essien Udim Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State, , Mr. Nse Ntuena, has been arrested by The Maryland state Police Department, USA for smuggling $82,000.00 in to the United state without declaring it with the custom officials both in Nigeria and the US. Hr is the chairman of the home local government of the state governor Godswill Akpabio. Mr. Nse Ntuen who is the Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), was arrested last Friday by operatives of the Maryland State Police Department at the BWI International Airport, Baltimore. When contacted officials of the Maryland State Police Department at the airport, said the suspect only declared $5,000 when he got to the airport, adding that is was further security checks that indicated that he was still having some bundle of US dollars in his bag. The official who agreed to be quoted further said that the chairman who flew from the United Kingdom was later taken to their investigation room where an additional $77,000 was found in his bag. It was established that Hon Nse Ntuen confessed that he smuggled the money to use it as donation at the just concluded Annual International Convention of the Akwa Ibom Indigenes in the United State and Canada which was held at the Marritol Hotel in Washington, DC. The suspect was later made to write and sign a statement where he accepted that he brought in items which he failed to declare to both the Nigerian and United States Custom Agencies Services. The US official further disclosed that the Akwa Ibom state ALGON Chairman who was held for over five hours was later released after the whole $82,000 he admitted to has smuggled in to the country was confiscated by the Maryland State Police Department. It has now been learnt that the suspect who might be taken before the Police tomorrow has engaged the services of Attorney Hope Umana, a US based lawyer to secure the release of the seized money running in to over N13million. All efforts to speak with the chairman who was briefly seen at the convention on Saturday, proved abortive as he became very hostile. It would be recalled that a colleague of the chairman who is the chairman of Uyo local government area of the state, Mr. Ekerete Ekpenyoung, was on the 8th August, 20012 arrested by the men of the Texas State Police Department on his arrival at the Houston International Airport with about $450,000 (N74 million naira) which is failed to declare to security agents. Mr. Ekpenyong was held by the police for some days and was released after he said that he was a local government chairman from Nigeria and the said money was meant to be distributed to people from his area in the United State.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 15:09:19 +0000
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