By Becky Usman

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of scavengers broke into a gated duplex located southeast of Abuja city center and made off with $4 million in cash. The money is reportedly linked to two federal civil servants, Aisha Sadiq Odariko and Mohammed Kyari Dikwa, according to documents and information obtained by the Peoples Gazette.

Aisha Sadiq Odariko, a manager in the enterprise risk unit of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), and Mohammed Kyari Dikwa, a retired permanent secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance, are currently under investigation for their involvement in storing approximately $76 million of unexplained origin. The case has raised concerns among officials as it highlights the continued hoarding of vast sums of cash by wealthy individuals in Nigeria.

The investigation focuses on determining whether Odariko and Kyari Dikwa collaborated in operating a fraudulent scheme while holding federal positions. Authorities are also seeking information regarding the whereabouts of the remaining $72 million, which Odariko allegedly claimed was left after the burglars stole $4 million from the stash.

According to an official familiar with the investigation, Odariko informed detectives that there was a total of $76 million in the building, with $4 million stolen by the burglars. While approximately $2 million has been recovered from the thieves, the authorities are still trying to ascertain how Odariko and her accomplices managed to swiftly relocate the remaining $72 million and where it has been moved to.

Mohammed Kyari Dikwa, a native of Borno, previously served as the acting accountant-general of the federation under President Muhammadu Buhari and retired from the civil service shortly before the theft occurred. The nature of his relationship with Odariko is unclear, although sources suggest a romantic involvement between the two, as revealed by their driver.

Kyari Dikwa’s public profile highlights his contributions to various government reforms, including the implementation of the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), Treasury Single Account (TSA), Asset Tracing Team (ATT), Whistleblowing Policy, Fiscal Sustainability Plan (FSP), and Strategic Revenue Growth Initiative (SRGI), among others.