Nwuche had filed a suit at a federal high court, Abuja, claiming that Kuku had refused to pay back the money. Responding through G. E. Ezeuko, his lawyer, Kuku, who is currently in the US, accused Nwuche of attempting to use “judicial ambush to extract an unjust and unfair endorsement of his spurious claims”. He alleged that the ex-lawmaker was in possession of N2 billion belonging to the federal government. “I have deemed it extremely important to notify the public that the former special adviser to the president on Niger Delta and chairman of the presidential amnesty programme, Hon. Kingsley Kuku has briefed my law firm to robustly defend him in a suit (No. FCT/HC/CV/2609/16) filed on Tuesday, September 27th in the high court of the federal capital territory, Abuja, by Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, a former deputy speaker of the house of representatives, wherein he is claiming that he (Nwuche) is being owed the total sum of N2, 864, 584, 979.00 (Two Billion, Eight Hundred and Sixty Four Million, Five Hundred and Eighty Four Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy Nine Hundred Naira), purporting same to be a loan allegedly obtained from him by the Presidential Amnesty Office under Hon. Kingsley Kuku,” read a statement issued by Kuku’s lawyer. “Neither my esteemed client, Hon. Kingsley Kuku nor his Lawyers have been put on notice till this day and as a result, my law firm deems it expedient to make this suit public; first to exonerate him from the allegations and to stop Hon. Chibudom Nwuche from a perceived intention of depriving Hon. Kingsley Kuku of a proper trial and fair hearing “Further, I have been duly informed by my Client, Hon. Kingsley Kuku and I wholeheartedly believe him, that it is not true that he or the amnesty offfice owe Hon. Chibudom Nwuche the aforementioned sum of money. He has told me that while he served as the special adviser to the president on Niger Delta and Chairman of the presidential amnesty programme, he never ever borrowed money in his personal capacity or on behalf of the office from Hon. Chibudom Nwuche. “Rather, Hon. Kuku has informed my law firm that it is actually Hon. Chibudom Nwuche that is owing the presidential amnesty office and the federal government of Nigeria, the said sum of N2, 864, 584, 979.00 (Two Billion, Eight Hundred and Sixty Four Million, Five Hundred and Eighty Four Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy Nine Hundred Naira), being part payment to him to fund the contract awarded to his firm, Foundation for Youth Development (FYD) by the Amnesty Office between 2012 and 2013, to provide offshore training for Niger Delta youths in construction, Information Technology and Welding in Vietnam, Malaysia and at the World Maritime University in Sweden, under the Presidential Amnesty Programme.” He challenged Nwuche to produce any iota of proof to back his rather “comical claim” that he gave a loan to the presidential amnesty office under Kuku.]]>