TheCable

The  two armoured helicopters seized by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) were ordered by Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, the incumbent governor, has said.

On Friday, customs announced that it had handed over the aircraft it impounded in November, to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

It said the helicopters were given to the force because the persons who imported them refused to show up and present end user certificates from the office of the national security adviser (NSA).

But in a statement issued on Saturday, Wike faulted the claim of NCS that the owner of the aircraft was not known.

He accused the agency of resorting to propaganda, saying he wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari, and advised him to hand over the helicopters to the air force.

Wike said he took the step because of the high custom duties the helicopters attracted, and the “refusal of the federal government to grant waiver”.

“These helicopters were imported by the immediate past administration; and when I assumed office, we wrote to the federal government that the helicopters were strictly for security use,” Wike said in a statement issued on his behalf by Simeon Nwakaudu, his spokesman.

“I went to the federal government to request for waiver to clear the helicopters but they refused.

“Thereafter, I wrote to President Buhari to assure him that the helicopters were meant for security purpose and that they should be handed over to the Nigeria Air Force.

“We stated that we cannot pay the custom duties because the helicopters are not for commercial use; but to monitor the creeks and track criminals.

“In any case, where will the Rivers government get money at this time to import armoured helicopters to which the previous administration imported because it had money (at the time)?

“What am I going to use armoured helicopters for; what kind of country are they turning Nigeria into?”

Wike said it was unfortunate that some security agencies would allegedly resort to political propaganda and outright lies when facts of the seized armoured helicopters were known.

He said it was shocking that NCS would turn around to claim that it impounded the helicopters rather than telling the truth.

Wike claimed that the chief of staff to the president commended the Rivers government when the letter got to the presidency.

Amaechi is yet to respond to the claims made by his predecessor.

TheCable’s effort to reach David Iyiofor, his spokesman, did not yield result as of the time this report was filed.

Iyiofor’s telephone line was unreachable.