Various reactions have continued to trail an allegation made by Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge and Malling), a UK parliament member on Monday, November 23 during the House deliberation on the aftermath of the EndSARS protest, and possible sanctions to be meted on top Nigerians regarding the roles they played in the killing of unarmed protesters at the Lekki toll gate.

During the deliberation, he had said, “What we are seeing in Nigeria today is part of that story. It is a tragedy we are all witnessing because we see things falling apart. The problem this time is not foreign pressure known as colonialism. The pressure instead is corruption and violence and attempts at control (of power)."

Going further, he had said, “We need to call out the corruption, we need to use the powers that we have in this country to stop those who are profiting from the wealth of that great nation and hiding it here. Now some people will remember when general Gowon left Nigeria, he took half of the Central Bank, so it is said, and moved to London."

This claim has expectedly necessitated various reactions from Nigerians. While many believe that General Yakubu Gowon, a former Nigerian Head of State isn't capable of engaging in a corrupt act of that magnitude, many others expressed shock at the claim, but believed it shows that all Nigerian leaders are corrupt, even the supposedly incorruptible ones.

Reacting to the news, a former Senator of the Republic of Nigeria, Senator Shehu Sanni has taken to his Twitter account to give his take on the damning claim. According to him, the claim was a fake one owing to the meagre lifestyle exhibited by the former Nigerian Head of State since he exited power and over 40 years later.

In the tweet, he had written, "General Yakubu Gowon;The claim of ‘looting the CBN’ made by the British Minister for Africa as represented by Mr James Duddridge against Gen Gowon is nothing but outright falsehood.Gowon exited power without any evidence of wealth & that remains,for over four decades after power."

What made the claim a particularly damning one is the fact that General Yakubu Gowon is seen by many Nigerians as a beacon of integrity who has not used public fund to enrich himself. However, that popular belief is being questioned and put to test and it remains to be seen what will happen next.

To you my dear readers, how do you see this defense of General Yakubu Gowon put up by Senator Shehu Sanni? Do you believe that someone of the integrity stand of General Yakubu Gowon could involve himself in such an act? Let's discuss this and more in the comment section. Don't forget to like and share this article with others and don't also forget to follow this page for more quality updates.