Three Stewards Fired Over Missing $250,000 Akpabio's Loot At The Akwa Ibom Governor's Lodge in Abuja

Three stewards working in the Akwa Ibom state governor's lodge in
Asokoro, Abuja was on Friday summarily dismissed by the governor,
Godswill Akpabio, over missing bundles of mint fresh dollars valued at
over $250,000 (N40 million) kept in the governor's bedroom.
The governor who reportedly issued the instruction to dispense with
the services of the political appointees personally found out on
Wednesday during his visit to Abuja that four bundles of theforeign
currency he left in his bedroom had been stolen while he was gone to a
dinner with president Goodluck Jonathan at the Aso Rock Villa.
Saharareporters gathered that the bundles dollars kept in the drawers
in the governor's bedroom were the leftovers from a trough of hard
currency stashed away in a private security safe.
The governor reportedly expressed surprise that despite the near
impregnable security in the lodge, coupled with the fact that thelocks
to that section of the lodge, including the governor's bedroom, are
routinely changed each time such heavy cash is brought in, the money
could still disappear in the manner it did.
Though it could not be established firmly if the three steward were
responsible for the missing cash, it was gathered that they may have
been given the boot for apparent negligence in allowing the real
culprits to gain access to the otherwise restricted area of the lodge.
A source close to the lodge said more heads might roll as
investigations are ongoing to find out the identities of the
otherculprits involved in the theft of Mr. Akpabio's cash haul.
According to the source, who pleaded anonymity, for fear of being
victimized, accusing fingers are being pointed at Maria Ekpekong
another staff member at the lodge who is the governor's senior
special representative in charge of the overall management of the
lodge.
It was gathered that pilfering of huge cash in the lodge has become a
recurring event. A few years ago, the governor removed all the civil
servants deployed to work at the lodge and replaced them with
political appointees and other private consultants he thought could be
trusted.
In one instance, it was learnt that after bundles of cash disappeared
under similar circumstances, the burglary proof and window protectors
around the governor's apartment were changed sometime last year after
the perpetrators broke through the ceiling to gain access to the room
where cash was stacked in 'Ghana must go' bags.
Governor Akpabio frequently doles out state cash to buy
politicalpatronage and favors from various sectors of the Nigerian
society.
Governor Akpabio is reckless with state funds, sometimes paying huge
sums of money to buy himself awards both at home and abroad. is
trying to keep this incidence under wraps, our sources say.