Following the stunning revelation by wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan, penultimate Sunday, that some of her belongings were sold off upon rumours of her death, security operatives are said to be probing the incident and may have narrowed down their investigations to three suspects.
The First Lady had said that some of her close associates sold her belongings while she was on sick bed in a German hospital believing she would not return to the country alive.
A highly reliable source in Abuja disclosed to National Mirror that two choice properties belonging to the wife of the President had been recovered from the buyers.
The properties are believed to be held in trust for the First Lady.
Mrs. Jonathan had on Sunday, February 17, during a thanksgiving service at the Aso Villa Chapel revealed that while she was undergoing surgeries and passed out for seven days, those close to her sold off some of her belongings with the hope she would not come back to life.
Her words: “I am not Lazarus but my experience was similar to his. My doctors said all hope was lost. A black doctor who is with us in this service was flown in from London when the situation became critical.
It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I will return to Nigeria. God woke me up after seven days.
“I know that some people somehow leaked the information that I was dead. They are people that I trust and rely on. To them, I was dead and I would never return to the country alive. Some of them even sold off my things.
“I won’t say everything here. It is the Lord’s doing that I returned alive.” Impeccable source close to the seat of power, however, told National Mirror that a prominent businesswoman, an aide of the First Lady and a top government functionary had been quizzed for their alleged involvement in the sale of the properties.
It was also learnt that the international passports of the three suspects had been seized by security operatives.
“Even before the President’s wife made it public that her properties were sold off by her friends, security agencies had been briefed about the development.
“After painstaking investigation by a team of detectives, three people were picked as the masterminds of the sale of the properties. “They have been interrogated and to forestall a situation where they will flee the country, their international passports have been seized.
“I am also aware that security operatives have also recovered the First Lady’s properties sold out by the suspects,” the source told National Mirror.
It was further learnt that the properties, valued at several millions of naira, were located in Abuja and Lagos.
The source said that the businesswoman, who is believed to be very close to Mrs. Jonathan, might have facilitated the sale of one of the properties while the presidential aide and top government functionary perfected the documentation of the illegal transaction.
As at the time of going to the press, it was not clear whether the three suspects have refunded all the proceeds from the sale.
The source added that the suspects might be charged to court after the investigation had been concluded.
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