Cross River Commissioner denies authorizing cash withdrawal amidst robbery att@ck on finance Director

Senator Stephen Odey, the Commissioner for Education in Cross River State, has emphatically denied granting approval for the withdrawal of cash by the Ministry’s Director of Finance, Dr Denis Usibe, who fell victim to a robbery att@ck.

The incident unfolded when two individuals, disguised in military uniforms, trailed Usibe from a bank on Calabar Road to the Ministry of Education premises, adjacent to Governor Bassey Otu’s office. They then allegedly dispossessed him of a substantial sum of money, reported to be in the millions of naira, after shooting him on Wednesday.

In a telephone conversation, Commissioner Odey clarified that he had not sanctioned any cheque or approval for the withdrawal of funds. He disputed the speculation of the amount being as high as N30 million, suggesting it was around N500,000. Odey asserted that he was unaware of any visit to the bank and emphasized that he was in the company of the state governor and his Yache community people when the incident occurred.

Despite the challenging circumstances, Odey confirmed that the robbery transpired within the ministry’s premises as Usibe parked his car. However, he maintained his stance that he did not authorize any financial transaction leading to the attack.

On a positive note, Dr Denis Usibe, the finance director, is reported to be in stable condition after receiving medical attention at Navy Reference Hospital and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, where the bullets were successfully extracted. The incident has prompted heightened scrutiny and calls for increased security measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.