There is not an iota of truth in $5m bribe story - Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar

The Nigerian President, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, today refuted the five million-dollar bribery allegation against President Jerry Rawlings.

"There is no one iota of truth in it. I don't know where that story comes from. I hope this matter will be dead and buried", he said during a stop-over at the Kotoka International Airport on his way to Conarkry.

Gen. Abubakar who was on his way to a summit of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) leaders is scheduled for tomorrow, said ECOMOG (ECOWAS Monitoring Group) ''is becoming a financial and human drain on his country, Ghana and Guinea. He urged West African countries to provide troops and logistics to assist ECOMOG, in its peace-keeping operations in Sierra Leone. "We are sacrificing and other countries should assist."

At the airport to meet him was President Rawlings who said Ghana was not happy about the fact that some countries in the sub-region had a hand in the conflict in Sierra Leone. President Rawlings said it is gratifying that the Liberian government sent a delegation to explain the situation and role of Liberia, saying "it was not the Liberian government which was behind the conflict but remnants of some of the Liberian factions who share ethnicity with Sierra Leone.''

He said he will discuss with the Nigerian leader the security situation in the sub-region, particularly Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau and find lasting solutions to them. Gen Abubakar was accompanied by his foreign Minister, Mr Ignatius Olisaemeka, Mr Bello Suleman, Minister of Power and Steel, Major-Gen. Tim Shelpidi, ECOMOG Commander, and Vice-Admiral Jabriel Ayinka, Chief of Naval Staff.