LOOKS LIKE THERE IS MORE TO THIS LAUNDERED $9.3M THAN PST ORITS IS ADMITTING : S’South CAN defends Oritsejafor, FG on $9.3m scandal ... DailyIndependent.

Chairman of Christian Association of NIGERIA (CAN), South-South, Nigeria, who is also the Chairman of the NIGER Delta Bishops’ Forum, Archbishop Goddowell Avwomakpa, on Tuesday  in Lagos advised the media, members of the House of Representatives and stakeholders to thread softly over the controversy the $9.3 million found in private jet owned  by CAN President, Ayo Oritsejafor, which was being operated by two Nigerians and an Israeli has generated.

According to the CAN zonal chairman, “issues relating to national security and purchased arms  are usually carried out in secret by different countries across the globe. And as part of the secret, different methods are used to carry out the purchase as well as the delivery.” Avwomakpa noted that “hiring of the jet in which Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the president of CAN, has a stake is part of government secret instead of using one of the Presidential jets that will easily expose the transaction to the terrorists which the arms are meant to be use against.”

Avwomakpa, who said he is not holding brief for the Federal Government  or anybody, reminded Nigerians that the integrity of Nigeria as a country is at stake especially as some groups are seeing it from a religious angle instead of looking at it from national security and peace of the country. Consequently, Avwomakpa urged all Nigerians including those in the Diaspora to rise to the challenge of defending their fatherland as well as pray for those in leadership positions.

The CAN zonal chairman equally called on the House of Representatives to handle the $9.3 million issue with caution especially since the executive arm of government has come out to say that the money was meant for arms purchase.

According to the religious leader, the All Progressives Congress (APC) MEMBERS in the House of Representatives should not allow the way and manner the South African authority handled the matter becloud their logical reasoning rather as legislators who represent the people as members of the third arm of government should realize that NIGERIA deserves respect from South Africa more so when the FG has accepted that the money was actually meant for arms purchase. He further insisted that such bilateral matter ought to be handled at the topmost level of government and not to take it to the public domain. Avwomakpa who called on  NIGERIA journalists to report issues relating to national security with caution in order not to cause conflict among Nigeria and South Africa, a country Nigeria  fought for its independence also queried the South African authorities for not reaching out to President Jonathan or the national security adviser to the President first to confirm the transact before going to press with the story.

According to Avwomakpa, “this appears to me as another plot to dent Nigeria’s image before the international community as well widen the gap between Christians and Muslims on one hand and on the other fuel the crisis between the FG and the terrorists. Any discerning mind would know that it was not a case of money laundering especially when the people who accompanied the plane along with the federal government came out to say that the cash was meant for arm purchase and went ahead to produce the invoice,” Avwomakpa noted.

He further stated that the entire transaction may have been coded as is the practice with most security issues the world over to prevent terrorists from knowing what the Nigeria government is doing more so when the government in time past discovered that some persons in government reveal certain official information to the insurgents  and individuals who ought not to have such privileged information.

He however called on those calling for the probe of the matter to know that Nigeria is in a perilous time and the country and its leaders at all levels need prayers and co-operation of the citizenry so that the country can remain one indivisible nation.