EFCC freezes Fani-Kayode’s account over N4bn campaign

Former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode will have to live without one of his accounts for now.

Femi Fani-Kayode

The account has been frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as it steps up investigation into the alleged N4billion campaign bazaar cash received from ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in the build-up to the 2015 elections.

The funds were allegedly withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) and shared to 10 other directors, directorates, zonal directors and state directors of the Presidential Campaign Organization of Jonathan.

Fani-Kayode declared yesterday that he knew nothing about the withdrawal of the cash from the CBN or funding of the campaign by the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki.

But he  admitted that campaign funds were paid into the account of a company linked with a former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Nenadi Usman, from where it was shared to him and others.

He dared the EFCC to “do their worse” in a statement in Abuja entitled “The Money Transfers and the Truth about the Presidential Campaign Funds.”

The beneficiaries may be arrested for questioning by the anti-graft agency.

Details of the largesse sharing are as follows: Fani-Kayode (N840million); Goodluck Support Group (N320million); Achike Udenwa and Viola Onwuliri (N350million); Nenadi Usman (N140million); and Okey Ezenwa (N100million).

Giving his own side of the story,Fani-Kayode said  he received the funds from ex-President Jonathan and he is accountable only  to the former leader and not the EFCC.

He said the funds disbursed were not from public coffers and these were routed through a private company.

His words: “Our funds were given to us by the President who was the leader of our party through the Director of Finance of the PCO and we were not in a position to inquire into the sources of funding of the party’s campaign. Indeed, it was not our responsibility to do so.

“Once I got these clarifications and confirmations, I agreed to receive the funds into my bank account and use them for their stated purpose.

“The transfers were made and I used the funds to carry out all our operations during the course of the presidential campaign.

“It was an aggressive and well-run campaign and we gave our opponents a very hard time indeed. It was also very expensive and we barely had the resources that we really needed, but we did an effective job with the little we were given.

“The whole nation, including our friends and our enemies, can bear witness to that and they saw the excellent quality of our work. Hardly anyone can dispute this, yet some fail to appreciate the fact that such a strong showing costs a lot of money. Media and publicity campaigns cannot be run on goodwill alone. You need cash and plenty of it.

“During the course of the election and after its conclusion, I submitted detailed accounts of our expenses and evidence of our work to the Director of Finance of the PCO for onward transmission to the Director-General of the PCO and ultimately President Jonathan himself about how the money was spent and they were satisfied.

“Given the fact that these were not public funds, the only legal body that can inquire into our expenditure of campaign funds is President Goodluck Jonathan who set up the PCO.”

Continuing, he   said: “I cannot sit by silently as my name is dragged through the mud in this way and I am convicted in the court of public opinion. This has happened to me once before and it took me seven years to clear my name. It will not happen to me again.

“Consequently I am constrained to take this opportunity to state the facts of this matter, set the record straight and await my traducers and accusers to make their next move. It is indeed time to challenge those that are making these allegations and to kill the lie.

“ The fact that my bank account was frozen on the orders of the EFCC two weeks ago without any explanation is proof of the fact that I am being targeted and that those that seek to have their wicked way with me are about to pounce.

“Given this, it is important that all the relevant facts are put before the world before I am subjected to the Dasuki treatment, put away indefinitely and not given the opportunity to defend myself before the public. Meanwhile, in their usual manner, after this is done, the EFCC will then flood the media with all manner of lies about my so-called atrocities which only exist in the figment of their imagination.

“The allegation of fraud and the receipt of public funds from the National Security Adviser’s Office and Central Bank into my bank account are false.

“These allegations are baseless, wicked, shameful and irresponsible. It is not true that any money was paid into my account by or from the National Security Adviser’s Office, the Central Bank of Nigeria or any other government agency or institution last year or at any other time.”

He said the funds were wired into his account and others through a company associated with ex-Minister Nenadi Usman.

”As the Director of Media and Publicity of the Jonathan Presidential Campaign Organization, I was asked to submit a budget for my Directorate by Chief Tony Anenih, the Presidential Adviser to the Presidential Campaign Organization and Mrs. Nenadi Usman, the Director of Finance.

“My team and I prepared the budget and it was approved.

“Rather than collect cash, for security reasons and the purposes of accountability, I was advised by the Director of Finance to open a bank account for this purpose, which I did.

“The funds were paid into that account in instalments at the beginning of last year by the Director of Finance and each deposit was authorized and approved by the Presi dential Adviser to the PCO, Chief Tony Anenih.

“The account that they used to transfer the money to me was a private company account which was owned or under the control of the Director of Finance.

“It was the same company account that was used to send money to all the other Directors of the PCO and the Zonal Directors, State Directors and all our PDP governorship and legislative candidates during the various campaigns.

“ When I asked about the sources of the funds, I was told by the Director of Finance that the funds were sourced from private individuals and private companies who opted to support and fund President Jonathan’s campaign. She told me that no money was paid into her company from any government official, account or agency. This she told me in the presence of witnesses and I believed her.

“ I was told that there was a fundraising event held by our party (PDP) which took place in early January 2015 in which billions of naira were raised specifically for the Presidential campaign. I believed this to be true and I had no reason to doubt it.”

The ex-Minister said the slush funds were shared to 10 other directors, directorates, zonal directors and state directors of the Presidential Campaign Organization of Jonathan.”

He wondered why he has been the subject of “absurd and outlandish headline stories in various newspapers which have accused me of being a fraudster and which have claimed that funds were transferred into my bank account by the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, and by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

Such stories, he claimed , portrayed him as having used  public funds for the campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan.

He branded such stories as petty, shameful, nauseating and “ also a reflection of the desperation of those that seek to pull me down and destroy me simply because my opposition to this government has been unrelenting.”

“ In January 2015, I was appointed as the Director of Media and Publicity for the Jonathan/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organization by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Director-General of the Campaign Organization was Senator Ahmadu Alli and the Deputy Director-Generals were Alhaji Ibrahim Turaki SAN (North) and Governor Peter Obi (South).

Chief Tony Anenih, an elder statesman and one of the most distinguished and revered leaders in our country, was the Presidential Adviser to the campaign organization.

“There were at least 10 other directors and directorates apart from me and mine including the Directorate of Mobilization which was led by the respected Professor Jerry Gana and the Directorate of Administration which was led by Alhaji Aliyu Modibbo. There were also zonal and state directors of the Presidential Campaign Organization in all the zones and states of the country.

“All these names that I have mentioned including all the other directors whose names I have not mentioned are, as far as I am aware, men and women of immense integrity and good character and they have mostly been either ministers of the Federal Republic or state governors at one time or the other in our history. It was an honour to serve alongside such people and I have absolutely no regrets about doing so.

“Yet given the fact that I was not the only director in the campaign organization and in view of the fact that all the directors and zonal and state directors got their funds from the same source and account as I did, one wonders why only I and three others should be singled out for this reprehensible treatment and these false allegations.

“ I chose to remain silent on the issue until now simply because the allegations have not been officially made by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or anyone else, but the newspapers keep citing their sources “inside the EFCC” as their basis for these shameful allegations.

Mr. Josef Goebbels, Chancellor Adolf Hitler’s information minister, when Germany was in the terrible grip of the Nazi party, said that once a lie is repeated enough times, it becomes truth to those who are continuously subjected to it. This is especially so if it goes unchallenged.”

Fani-Kayode, who took swipes at the EFCC and The Nation in his statement, asked the anti-graft agency to “do the worst.”

He said: “Yet if this is an attempt to intimidate, silence or distract me, they shall fail because I am not a coward and I do not fear them or those that sent them to torment me.

“As long as Jesus is on the throne and our hands are clean, no matter how long it takes, we shall prevail and ultimately they will pay a heavy price for their malice, injustice and wickedness.

“These are facts and readers can be rest assured that I will say nothing different from this if and when I am formally asked by anyone or any agency.

“When the EFCC begins to leak their falsehood and salacious allegations to their agents in the media, kindly take note of the fact that, as usual, they will be telling tall tales and they will be lying.

“Now I challenge them to do their worse. I have no fear of them or of those who have sent them to do this dirty job. May God judge them all and may He reward them for their wickedness.

“The suggestion that the money was some kind of “cash bonanza” or “bazaar” as has been reported by the leading pro-government newspaper in the country today is childish and absurd.

“If that had been the case, I doubt that I would have been foolish enough to open a bank account to receive government funds or “bazaar funds” as this would have been easily traced.

“If I had anything to hide or if I was doing anything wrong, I would have insisted on collecting cash for my operations which would have been far easier to conceal.

“The fact that the EFCC gained access to my bank account and leaked details of it to the media, including my inflows, is not only a gross violation of my privacy, but it is also unlawful.”

EFCC freezes Fani-Kayode’s account over N4bn campaign

Gov polls in PDP controlled states: EFCC arrests INEC chiefs for taking N675m in bribes

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, has found over N675.1m in the bank accounts of different Independent National Electoral Commission officials in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Delta states.

EFCC

According to the anti-graft agency, the money was received and shared by the officials during the last governorship elections.

Our correspondents gathered that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the 2015 election in Rivers State, Mrs. Gesila Khan, and other officials of INEC are already in EFCC custody. Khan was quizzed by the Department of State Services in July last year but was never charged.

However, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that Khan and four others were arrested on Thursday, by the zonal office of the EFCC in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The residences of all the suspects were subsequently searched and incriminating documents were said to have been recovered by the commission.

According to impeccable sources at the EFCC, Khan, who is now the REC in Cross River State, allegedly received N185.8m ahead of the March 28 and April 11, 2015 election.

A source at the EFCC, who did not want his name in print, said Khan had made confessional statements and was cooperating with the commission.

He alleged that Khan received money through a special bank account and the commission had received overwhelming evidence.

He said, “Khan was the REC in Rivers State in 2015 election before she was transferred to Cross River early this year. She was said to have received N185.8m. She has made confessional statements.”

The anti-graft agency also arrested one Edem Okon Essanga, who is a retired INEC official. Essanga was arrested alongside his alleged accomplice, Immaculata Asuquo, who is the Head, Voter Education, INEC, Akwa Ibom State.

Essanga was alleged to have received over N240m which he shared among INEC ad hoc workers during the last election.

“Essanga received N241.1m during the general election. He admitted receiving the money and confirmed sharing it with different ad hoc workers during the election. His accomplice Asuquo has also been arrested,” the source added.

The source also disclosed that the EFCC had arrested one Fidelia Omoile who was the INEC electoral officer in Isoko-South Local Government Area, Delta State.

Apart from tracing over N112m to her, the commission also recovered some sensitive electoral materials during a search of her apartments in Edo and Delta states.

“She received N112.4m during the 2015 general election. A search warrant was executed at her residences in Asaba and Benin. Sensitive materials used in the 2015 elections were recovered, including evidence of the suspicious bank transaction and land documents that will assist us in our investigations,” the source said.

The commission also arrested one Oluchi Obi Brown who was the INEC administrative secretary in Delta State. She allegedly received over N111m.

Further investigations by detectives revealed that Brown had about $75,000 in an account in the United States.

“Oluchi received N111.5m during the general election. Investigations showed that she operates a foreign account with the Bank of America. As of February this year, the account balance was $75,857, (N24, 274,240),” the source added.

The sum total of the money found in the bank accounts of the INEC officials is N675.1m.

When asked if the anti-graft agency had recovered any funds, the source said efforts were being made to recover the funds in Nigeria and abroad.

He said the commission was banking on using the confessional statements of the suspects to catch the ‘big fish.’

But the INEC has claimed ignorance of the development, saying it is not sure of the story.

The  Deputy Director of Publicity and Voters Education of the commission, Mr. Nick Danzang, told our correspondent that he was unable to either confirm or deny the story.

“I’m not in town, but I have made calls. Nobody seems to know what is happening,” he said.

All attempts to get the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umana, to react to the matter proved abortive as he turned down calls from our correspondent. He did not also respond to text message sent to his phone.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Ekerette Udo, who responded to the call, declined any comment on the issue.

But the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Paul Ekpo, who responded to the call from our correspondent, said he was unaware of such development and he didn’t know either Efanga or Immaculata.

Reacting, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr. Austin Tam-George, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the investigation or arrest of Gesila Khan had nothing to do with Governor Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State Government or the state Peoples Democratic Party.

Tam-George explained that security agencies, including the EFCC, appeared to be conducting politically-targeted arrests since the beginning of the current political dispensation.

“We believe there is now a universal consensus that the security agencies, including the EFCC, appear to be conducting politically-targeted arrests since the beginning of this political dispensation.

“Mrs. Khan has particularly been viciously castigated by the All Progressives Congress for her steadfastness and incorruptible stance during the general election in Rivers State in April 2015.

“The fact that the governorship election she supervised in Rivers was ultimately validated by the Supreme Court speaks of her integrity. The world will watch closely to see if Mrs. Khan is being persecuted for her lofty principles and belief in popular democracy in Nigeria.”

The Chief Press Secretary to the Delta State Governor, Charles Aniagwu, while responding, said the government agencies should do their work diligently.

“Let the INEC (and EFCC) find out where the person got the money from. We cannot begin to talk about what we do not know anything about. I do not know about the person. We are not involved. The person accused of having N100m in his or her account should be able to explain the source of the money. We do not need to bribe people to get votes. We do not buy a crowd. We have the crowd behind us already. It is those who do not have the crowd behind them that can buy people with money. We do not buy people with money. We do not engage in bribery and corruption. The governor is a grass roots person,” Aniagwu said.

However, the Ijaw Youth Council. Worldwide has demanded the immediate release of the arrested officials, insisting that they are innocent.

Eric Omare, the group’s spokesman, said in a statement that Khan, who is also an Ijaw, was a victim of witch-hunt.

He said. “Mrs. Khan, had gone to the office of the EFCC to honour an invitation and having met with the EFCC team, they demanded for a first class traditional ruler or holder of the national honour of Commander of the Niger (CON) to stand surety to bail her. However, when the surety was made available on Thursday, the 14th of April, 2016, the EFCC at Port Harcourt claimed that they no longer knew her whereabouts.”

“This is an illegal conduct and flagrant abuse of power by the EFCC in the guise of fighting corruption. While all well-meaning Nigerians and organisations, including the IYC have over the years supported efforts at stamping out corruption from Nigeria, we insist that such a fight must be done within the ambit of the law.”

Gov polls in PDP controlled states: EFCC arrests INEC chiefs for taking N675m in bribes

Ijaw youths threatens fire if EFCC arrests Jonathan

The umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, has alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is laying a foundation for the arrest of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

President Jonathan

The IYC, however, advised the anti-graft agency to shelve any plan to “persecute” the former President, insisting that such a move would spell doom for the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Speaking at a news conference on Saturday to mark the burial of a former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the IYC President, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, said most of the close allies of Jonathan had been arrested by the EFCC.

He particularly condemned the recent arrest and detention of Jonathan’s cousin and contractor, Mr. Robert Azibaola, over an alleged $40m contract fraud.

Eradiri said Ijaw youths would not allow Azibaola, Jonathan or any rising Ijaw leader to be persecuted by the EFCC, the way the Federal Government dealt with the late Alamieyeseigha.

He said, “They have arrested almost all our people. Azibaola was arrested by the EFCC and we are calling on the EFCC to stop persecuting him further and charge him to court if there are issues.

“They detained him for a long time, forcing him to make statements to indict former President Jonathan. Azibaola is a businessman, a contractor, and has the right, like every other Nigerian, to get contracts. Why will the Niger Delta case be a different one?

“We noticed that the same way they persecuted Alamieyeseigha has continued. After Goodluck Jonathan, our people who contributed to that administration, are being persecuted by this government.

“The recent one is the ploy to arrest Goodluck Jonathan, which is unfolding every day. This must stop. Goodluck Jonathan is the most performing President that Nigeria has ever had. We are proud of him.

“Everyday, there is a calculated attempt to whittle down the achievements of former President Jonathan. We call on Nigerians to mount pressure on the government to focus on leading Nigeria right rather than looking for ways to bring down the achievements of Jonathan.

“Buhari should please focus on governance rather than persecution of people who have added value. We are not happy about it and today, we use Alamieyeseigha’s death as a point of contact. The world has seen that from Alamieyeseigha, it has trickled down to all the Niger Delta people.”

Speaking on the alleged removal of 10 per cent community equity from the new Petroleum Industry Bill, Eradiri asked the government to do the needful.

He added that the Federal Government ought to have known that community ownership would ameliorate the years of crises in the Niger Delta region.

The IYC President added, “For us, we will not beg for it. We will not even lobby anybody. The oil is our oil and we will take it. If they like, they should put it, if they don’t like, they should leave it. We expect that this country should have commonsense by including community participation.

“In the issue of pipeline surveillance, this 10 per cent would have covered pipeline surveillance. Once the people know that they have 10 per cent in this business, they will protect it.”

Ijaw youths threatens fire if EFCC arrests Jonathan

EFCC arrests Jonathan’s cousin for $40m contract scam

Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested the Managing Director of Katakar Civil Engineering Company, Mr. Azibaola Robert, and an Executive Director of the company, Mr. Dakoru Atukpa, over a $40m pipeline contract.

EFCC

The contract, it was learnt on Wednesday, was awarded by the Office of the National Security Adviser under the leadership of Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).

Robert, who is a cousin to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has, however, described his arrest as a witch-hunt, insisting that the contract was transparent.

Our correspondent learnt that the arrest of Robert and Atukpa was sequel to a list sent to the EFCC by a committee set up by the Federal Government to probe contracts awarded by the ONSA from 2011 to 2015, which indicted more than 300 companies and prominent citizens, including serving and retired officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

It was learnt that the EFCC, on March 23, 2016, arrested Robert and Atukpa on the allegation of diversion of $40m public funds through Oneplus Holdings, a sister company of Kakatar Construction and Engineering Company Limited.

Oneplus Holdings is among the 300 firms under investigation by the Federal Government.

The spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, told our correspondent that the arrest was not a witch-hunt, alleging that the suspects received $40m from the ONSA for a dubious contract to supply “tactical equipment”.

Uwujaren said, “This is not a witch-hunt. He (Robert) is not Jonathan’s only cousin. The truth of the matter is that they are being held for a $40m contract he received from the ONSA. The mandate for the payment read, ‘Purchase of Tactical Equipment for Special Forces’.

“Two days after their arrest, they were offered bail. The condition was that the sureties must be on the level of civil service directors and a N250m bank guarantee. They must also have landed properties in Abuja and provide tax evidence of two years. But they could not meet up.

“So, the EFCC went to court for a remand order. They are being held pending the conclusion of investigation.”

However, the suspects, who spoke through their lawyer, Gordy Uche (SAN), alleged that the real target was Jonathan.

Uche said the contract was transparent, adding that the Federal Government still owed his clients $4m as the balance of the contract sum for successfully securing oil pipelines.

He told the commission to either charge his clients to court or release them on bail.

Uche added, “My client is being persecuted and punished because of his DNA, as a relative of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

“We have a civil dispute and then you turn round to lock up the party with whom you have a dispute.

“Then, you went ahead to give him impossible bail conditions: Two serving federal directors, each with properties in Maitama or Asokoro and original of their Certificates of Occupancy. The four directors are also required to present bail bonds of N250m each from reputable banks. Robert and Atukpa are also required to deposit their passports.”

EFCC arrests Jonathan’s cousin for $40m contract scam

Saraki earned salary for four years after tenure as governor

…Kwara denies paying Saraki after tenure

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in Abuja heard Wednesday  that the Kwara State Government continued to pay about N1.2million monthly as salary and pension to its former governor, Bukola Saraki three years after he ceased to occupy the office.

Bukola Saraki

Saraki was Kwara State governor between 2003 and 2011. But a prosecution witness in his false assets declaration trial before the CCT said on Wednesday that, although Saraki has been a Senator since May 2011, after the expiration of his second term as governor, the Kwara State Government only “stopped crediting his account with N1,165,466.12 monthly as salary and or pension on the August 31, 2015.”

The state government however in a statement Wednesday night  denied paying Saraki salary after he left office in May 2011.

Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Isiaka Gold explained that Dr Saraki’s last salary was N291,474.00 for the month of May 2011.

The witness, Michael Wetkas, an official of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who opened his testimony on Tuesday as the first prosecution, continued Wednesday.

Wetkas, led in evidence by lead prosecution witness, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), testified for about five hours, during which he gave details of transactions in Saraki’s three accounts operated in naira, dollar and pound sterling with the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB).

The witness gave details on how several funds, belonging to Kwara State, were allegedly diverted into Saraki’s private accounts both in Nigeria and abroad, with which he purportedly acquired property and liquidated some personal loans.

Wetkas, who drew the tribunal’s attention to some suspicious transactions in the defendant’s accounts with GTB, noted that during investigation, it was discovered that the identity of those making payments into the accounts were deliberately hidden by the bank.

The witness, who was part of the investigating team, said they discovered, during investigation, that most of the bank tellers for payment, were completed in similar hand writing, but without the address and phone numbers of the depositors.

Saraki earned salary for four years after tenure as governor

Witness: Saraki lodged N600,000 and N900,000 50 times in a day

A detective with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Michael Wetkas, on Tuesday narrated to the Code of Conduct Tribunal how the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, allegedly diverted Kwara State Government’s funds as the governor of the state.

Bukola Saraki

The witness said Saraki, who was the governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011, used the proceeds of the loot to repay personal bank loans which the former governor allegedly expended on the acquisition of landed assets in Lagos and Abuja.

Saraki is being prosecuted on 13 counts of false and anticipatory asset declaration which he made at the beginning and at the end of each of his two terms as governor.

Wetkas was the Federal Government’s first prosecution witness in a trial which only commenced on Tuesday after about six months of delay caused by a series of interlocutory applications and appeals deployed by Saraki.

The witness said, “It was discovered that the properties were acquired through the loans.

“The loans were repaid, through cash lodgements collected from the defendant at the Kwara State Government House and made in GTB, GRA, Ilorin branch.”

Wetkas said it was discovered that some of the individuals, who lodged funds into the accounts, were bank officials.

He added that the bank officials and some aides to the former governor collected the funds lodged into the accounts directly from Saraki at the Kwara State Government House.

He explained that Saraki paid back the loans with Kwara State Government’s fund through his aides, one of whom lodged between N600,000 and N900,000 in the former governor’s account 50 times on a particular day.

He said, “Because of the suspicious inflows into the account, the bank (GTB) officials were invited. The reason for the invitation of the officials was that some of the individuals, who were making the cash lodgements into the account, were bank officials.

“One Oluwatujimu reported to the commission.”

From our interactions with him, we discovered that some of the lodgements were made through his superior at the bank, Bayo Daudu, who was the Relationship Manager of the account.

“In our interaction with Daudu, it was discovered that the cash sums were handed over to him by the defendant (Saraki) for lodgement in the account.

“According to Daudu, he goes to Kwara State Government House to collect the money from the defendant for lodgement into the account at the GRA Ilorin branch of GTB.

“We discovered one name, Abdul Adama, who made transaction 50 times into the account in a single day. The sum was broken down to N600, 000 and N900, 000 and was lodged in the same day.

“Subsequently, after that one, Ubi made a lodgement on the same day about 20 times in the same range of N600,000 and N900,000. Adama reported that the cash sums were handed over to him by the defendant and stated further that the cash sums that were lodged in by Ubi into the same account were from the defendant.

“Adama and Ubi were personal assistants to the defendant while he was governor. Further investigations revealed that other individuals, who made lodgements into the account, were fictitious.

“From the lodgements into the accounts, we observed and discovered that one Ubi (we don’t have his surname) made five lodgements of over N37m in cash.”

According to the witness, Saraki failed to declare many of the landed assets as of 2011 when he completed his second term as governor.

The prosecution, led by Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), crossed the last legal hurdle before it could call its first witness on Tuesday after the tribunal dismissed another request for an adjournment by the defence.

The defence team had sought another adjournment on the basis of a fresh application for stay of proceedings and appeals, both of which they only filed on Monday, against a ruling of the tribunal which had been delivered on March 24.

Wetkas, who was led in evidence by Jacobs, said the EFCC received a number of petitions, accusing Saraki of abuse of office, misappropriation of public funds and money laundering shortly after the Senate President completed his second term as governor.

The witness said this prompted the then Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, to set up an investigative team, which he (Wetkas) headed in 2014.

He said his team, which later harmonised its findings with another broad investigative team, comprising operatives of the Department of State Services and the Code of Conduct Bureau, revealed that Saraki operated a number of companies which had accounts with Zenith and Guaranty Trust banks.

He said investigation revealed that between 2005 and 2013, a GTB account of one of the firms had an inflow of about N4bn, with the major source of the fund coming from the N2.5bn loans which he took from the bank within the period.

He said between 2009 and 2013, the dollar account operated by Saraki’s firm, Tiny Tee Properties Ltd, had an inflow of $6m.

The witness said, “The commission received several petitions from various groups. One of the petitioners was Kwara Freedom Network. They brought several petitions all bordering on abuse of office by the defendant, misappropriation of public funds and money laundering.

“Sometime in 2014, the then executive chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde received intelligence reports of suspicious transactions involving the defendant. He set up a team of investigators. Our task was to investigate the intelligence reports.

“The investigation report was reviewed by my team. In the course of our investigation, we discovered that there were several companies which were linked to the defendant. Some of them include Carlisle Properties Investment Ltd, Skyview Properties Ltd, Limkars Ltd, and Tiny-Tee Ltd. Some of the companies maintain accounts with Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank and other banks.

“From the investigation, it was discovered that the defendant maintained three accounts with the GTB. The first account is a naira currency account, the second is a US dollar account and the third is a pound sterling account.

“The naira account was analysed and it was discovered that between 2005 and 2013, the account had an inflow of about N4bn. The major source of inflow into the account was loans taken from GTB within the period. The loans were about N2.5bn, and the other source of inflow into the account was massive lodgements by individuals. Other inflows into the account were from the companies.

“It was discovered that the money was used for the purchase of property. The dollar account was also analysed. The major source of inflow into the dollar account was Tiny Tee Properties Ltd, which was about $2m. Other source was from bureau de change companies. And the rest was cash lodgements by individuals.

“The cash in the dollar account between 2009 and 2013 was $6m. We discovered that up to $3.4m was wired to American Express Services Europe Limited, which was used to fund the defendant’s American Express Service New York card account number 374588216836009.

“The defendant wired over 1.5m pound sterling to Fortis Bank for the purchase of a property in the UK.”

He said Saraki failed to list the assets in his asset declaration form.

Wetkas added, “My team searched the office of Carslie Properties and Investment Limited  in Lagos at 30 Saka Tinubu, Victoria Island, Lagos, where the team discovered documents containing the list of documents of properties linked to the first defendant.

“Some of them were purchased from Presidential Implementation Committee on Government Properties.

“Some were bought from the Central Bank of Nigeria. We had to write a number of land registries in Abuja, Lagos Land Registry and we also wrote the CBN.

“These properties were not in the asset declaration forms.

“In analysing the forms, some infractions were observed on some of the forms.

“We discovered that property, known as 15 Mcdonald, Ikoyi, Lagos, which was purchased through a company, Hitel Limited, was not declared in the forms. We also discovered that 17A and 17B of Mcdonald, Ikoyi, Lagos, were bought for aggregate sum of N497.2m in 2006.”

He said the Senate President failed to declare his property at Plot 2A Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, which he bought for N325,000,000 between 2007 and 2008, through his company called Carlisle Properties.

He said the accused also failed to declare the property at 37A Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, which he allegedly bought through Carlisle Properties.

He stated that the defendant failed to declare the property at No. 1 Targus Street, Maitama, Abuja, otherwise known as 2482, Cadastral Zone A06, Abuja, on September 16, 2003.

The accused allegedly failed to declare the property at No. 3 Targus Street, Maitama, Abuja, otherwise known as 2482, Cadastral Zone A06, Abuja, which he acquired from one Alhaji Attahiru Adamu.

He was said to have failed to declare his leasehold interest in No. 42 Remi Fani-Kayode Street, Ikeja, Lagos, which he acquired through his company, Skyview Properties Limited, from First Finance Trust Limited.

His asset declaration forms, which he submitted to the CCB at the beginning and at the end of each of his tenure as governor in 2003 and 2011, were admitted as exhibits.

Also admitted was the asset declaration forms he has submitted to the CCB as a senator since 2011.

The defence, led by Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), said he would defer his objection to the admissibility of the documents in his final written address.

Saraki was accompanied to the Tuesday’s proceedings by some senators.

The trial continues on Wednesday (today).

Witness: Saraki lodged N600,000 and N900,000 50 times in a day

GEJ Probe: EFCC carries out Buhari"s order, arrests GEJ"s nephew, wife, manager

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission EFCC has arrested former President Goodluck Jonathan Nephew, Barr. Azibaola Robert the Managing Director of Kakaatar Engineering Limited formerly known as Mangroovetech, his wife and his Manager, Mr Atukpa, they are believed to have been picked over billions of naira abandoned projects and other fraudulent involvement.

EFCC

This is coming after President Buhari gave the EFCC permission to probe cases relating to the former President, unfortunately, his Nephew is the first to be caught in this fraud web with his company Mangroovtech now kakaatar Engineering Limited being one of the favourite companies of the last administration that got juicy contracts worth billions of naira but most of them never saw the light of day.

It will be recalled that most media houses went agog with this shocking revelation mid last year immediately after the general election when former President Goodluck Jonathan kinsmen, the Ogbia elders asked GEJ to apologise for not calling his Aunt son, Azibaola Robert to order over all the abandoned projects in the state of Bayelsa.

The elders threw their weight behind Comrade Wisdom Ikuli, the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC) Action and Mobilisation Director who took Barr. Aziboala Robert to court over unpaid services rendered for the re-election of President GEJ. We later learnt that they tried settling out of court but Kakaatar MD reneged on the agreement to the dismay of the elders who called the peace deal on his instance in Otuoke.

An investigation also revealed that almost all the contracts awarded to kakaatar was directly approved from Federal Executive Council meetings, and many believed his company was used to siphon money for the last administration as many of those projects became dead on arrival. More proof emerged when Barr. Azibaola Robert rolled out The Goodluck Thumb campaign organization, a well-funded campaign organization for President Goodluck Jonathan and the funds came directly from the presidency. The company practically abandoned their projects and diverted monies meant for it into the funding of The Goodluck Thumb, this made the MD and his company untouchable.

Some of these projects we believe the company is answering for includes but not limited to;

• NIMASA awarded shipbuilding/dockyard construction (civil and infrastructure), Delta State at the cost of N18,457,283,591.91 NDDC awarded Opume/Okoroba 9.5km Road at the cost of N10Billion.


• FCTA awarded provision of engineering infrastructure, Kyami District, Abuja at the cost of N60,887,492,656.65


• NDDC awarded Otouke/Ikima Internal road network at the cost of N4Billion


• FCT awarded Karshi-Ara road in FCT at the cost of N4,097,185,656.30


• Bayelsa State Cargo Airport (Sandfilling) 4 Million Cubic of sand at N10Billion.


• Ministry of Works awarded 14km Mbaise-Ngwa road in Imo State at the cost of N2.94Billion.


• Ministry of Transport awarded Shore erosion control works at Akipilai, Ayakoro and Otuoke towns at a cost of N7,503,344,599.00 Maitama Extension and so many other contracts.

When a family member of his was contacted, he confirmed the detention but said his wife has been released to them two days ago. He insisted that his brother has not breached any laws, that those contracts were duly approved. He said the Barr. is being prosecuted because of his relationship with the former president. He advised President Buhari and EFCC to openly probe President GEJ, if they think they have to, not going behind to intimidate his relatives and errand boys. Barr. Azibaola’s lawyer could not be reached to ascertain if they have been any bail condition or if the case will be taken to court soonest.

The EfCC is yet to come out with an official statement on their continuous detention, but an insider said Kakaatar Engineering Limited benefitted hugely from Dasuki’s Billions of Dollars fraudulent arms deal and other petitions of fraud and money laundering.

It was learnt that the commission has already given them bail on the conditions that are yet to be met but it’s been kept on a low profile while investigation is still ongoing.

GEJ Probe: EFCC carries out Buhari"s order, arrests GEJ"s nephew, wife, manager

EFCC probes 100 pro-Jonathan groups over N320m

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has traced N320m to the account of the Goodluck Support Group, a collation of campaign groups, driving former President Goodluck Jonathan’s bid for the 2015 presidential poll.

EFCC

The group, which coordinated over 100 pro-Jonathan groups during the electioneering, was headed by Jonathan’s Special Adviser on Political Affairs, Prof. Rufai Alkali.

The money, it was learnt, emanated from the account of the Central Bank of Nigeria and was distributed to the group.

A source at the EFCC, who pleaded not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, said the money emanated from the CBN’s account and went into the account of the Ministry of External Affairs Library, from where it was moved into the account of the Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited.

“It was from the Joint Dimension’s account with Zenith Bank that the money was shared to various individuals and organisations for purposes that are not stated,” the source said.

The JTDNL account was coordinated by the Director of Finance of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Nenadi Usman.

Usman, a former minister, who the commission accused of collecting N36.9m through her Zenith Bank account no. 1000158311, is said to be in the United States.

All attempts to reach Alkali proved abortive as his two telephone sets indicated that they were switched off.

He did not also respond to an SMS sent to the sets.

Efforts to get Usman did not succeed as her mobile equally indicated that it was switched off, while she had yet to respond to a text message sent to her telephone as of the time of writing this report.

However, a reliable source within the party told our correspondent that the money was approved by the Presidency as there was a memo signed by the Permanent Secretary at the Villa, authorising that the money be paid by the CBN.

Meanwhile, the commission has begun investigations into the fresh contract scam involving the Office of the National Security Adviser.

It will be recalled that a presidential committee, set up to investigate how contracts were awarded and executed, in a report last week, indicted about 300 companies and over 12 dignitaries.

So far, the commission has traced N300m to the immediate-past Chairman of the House of Representatives on Security and Intelligence, Bello Matawalle, whose name featured on the list.

The ex-lawmaker was among those indicted for allegedly receiving payments without contractual agreements, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.

A reliable source at the EFCC told our correspondent that Matawalle allegedly used his position as the chairman of the committee overseeing the affairs of the ONSA to receive N300m from the agency.

However, the anti-graft agency said the money was shared among members of the PDP caucus at the House ahead of last year’s general elections.

The source said the method of getting money out of the ONSA was to conjure a fictitious contract after which funds would be given to the individual involved.

He said, “Investigations revealed that many fictitious contracts were approved a few months to the 2015 elections. In order to cover their tracks, some officials of the ONSA approved some fictitious contracts, which were referred to them by the Presidency.

“Money was then transferred to these people but the terms of the contracts were never met because there was no contract in the first place.

“Investigations revealed that Matawalle received N300m from the ONSA and the money was shared among members of the PDP in the House. The funds were to assist them with their campaigns and to also campaign for former President Goodluck Jonathan.”

All attempts to speak with Matawalle for three consecutive days proved abortive as calls put through to his mobile were rejected while text messages were not responded to.

He was, however, said to be out of the country.

Similarly, the EFCC traced over N300m to one Mrs. Oluwatoyin Oluwagbayi, a former Special Assistant to Hajia Turai Yar’Adua, who is the wife of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

It was also alleged that she received N300m from the ONSA through her company.

Oluwagbayi was also said to be out of the country as of Wednesday.

However, one of her associates confirmed that she received money but refused to state the amount, explaining that the money was given to some selected PDP National Assembly candidates to assist them with their elections.

The source said, “She received money from the Presidency but she never knew that the money was from the ONSA. We have a list of how the money was spent and all those who collected the money and we spent it judiciously.

“The money was given to her by the Presidency. We were thus surprised to see her name on the list of those who received contracts from the ONSA. We were not in a position to ask the Presidency where the money came from.”

When contacted on the telephone on Wednesday, the spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said investigations were ongoing, adding that he could not comment on the matter.

EFCC probes 100 pro-Jonathan groups over N320m

Osun group drags Bisi Akande’s brother, 9 others before EFCC over diversion of N.3billon College Funds

A Civil Society Organization (CSO) in Osun State under the auspices of Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) has dragged the younger brother to the former Interim National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, Mr. Oyeniyi Akande who is currently the Part-time Chairman of the

Governing Council of Osun State College of Education ,Ila-Orangun since 2013 and other nine(9) members of the top management of the College over illegal diversion of the approved N.3billion College funds for one projects or the other in the College Community.

Chief Bisi Akande

It was learnt that the members of the top management of the College that were named in the corrupt allegation included the College former Acting Provost, Dr. Basiru Gbadamosi, the Registrar and Secretary to the Governing Council, Mr. Aderinola Adeoti, former College Bursar, now Bursar College of Education, Ilesa, Mr. Akin Latilo, and Mr. David Olayinka Olojede, a member of the Governing Council.

Others involved in the alleged scam and diversion of Project funds were; Mr. Oyegbade Reuben Abayo, Mr. Amobi Yinusa Akinlola, Mr. Ayoola Peter Olajiola, Mr. Moses Oyewole Otitoola, and Mr. Kujeunbola Oluwafemi.

This was contained in a Petition Letter dated Monday 21st of March, 2016 with the titled “Request for investigation and prosecution of Mr. Oyeniyi Akande, the Part-Time Chairman, Governing Council, Osun State College of Education(OSSCE), Ila-Orangun, Osun state and nine (9) others for the offence of fraudulent conversion and diversion of N.3billion public funds approved for the Tetfund project i.e. the construction of Amphil-theatre and other sundry projects for the growth and development of the college community since 2014. Why Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) is demanding for investigation, arrest and possible prosecution of the culprits”, which was signed by the CSCEOS’ Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman and the copy was made available to newsmen on Tuesday, called for the thorough and credible investigation of the allegation

by the anti-graft body without minding whose ox was gored.

The Petition Letter which was received by the Abuja National Head office of the anti-graft Commission(EFCC) on Tuesday 22nd of March, 2016 and also forwarded to the Visitor of the College and Osun State governor, Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salaam, Federal Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu, Osun State Director, State Security Service (SSS) ,past leaders in Osun State including Governor, Deputy-Governors, Secretary to the State Government(SSG) and Head of Service(HoS) and the College

Provost, among others, for their notification and necessary action.

Comrade Sulaiman maintained that the massive corruption according to the available verified documents showed that the scam spread to fees for Certificates collection, College Transport account and College History among others, alleging that the authority of the College had purportedly spent closed to three hundred million naira (N300m) on the aforementioned projects since 2014 and the projects did not see the light of the day till this present moment, while all the funds released for the Projects have been diverted by Akande and his crime –in- aides, requesting that the anti-graft Commission should probe all the Banks’ Account used to siphon the College funds in question by the

aforementioned people.

The group alleged that sum of One hundred and seven Million naira (N107m) out of One hundred and twenty-five million (N125m) were released by the Federal Government through Tetfund as a Special Intervention fund to the College for building of a Lecture Theatre (Amphittheatre) which remained unaccounted for as the foundation of

the project has not been completed after two (2) years the project was awarded to the Contractor, Digitpro Engineering Technology Limited, Ibadan, adding that in January 2015, the sum of Five million One hundred and Thirty six Thousand, seven hundred and sixteen naira, Thirty Kobo were released to the contractor-Digitpro Engineering Technology Limited, Ibadan as part of fund approved for the construction of Amphitheatre

According to the Petition Letter: “To our dismay, at the one meeting of the College Governing Council where the failed Tetfund Amphitheatre Lecture contract was extensively discussed, the Council noted that though the sum of One Hundred and Seven Million naira (N107m) had been released to the contractor-Digitpro Engineering Technology Limited, Ibadan, the evaluators which the Governing Council brought from the Osun State Ministry of Works and Transport, Abeere, Osogbo valued the work done at the site of the project at Thirteen Million naira (N13m).

Surprisingly at the said meeting, Mr. Akande promised to handle the issue with “maturity”. His position to “maturity” rather than sanction and possible arrest is at variance with Mr. Akande’s make-belief anti-corruption posture. This position of Mr. Akande further confirmed our believe that Akande’s hand has been soiled with the project funds.

“Meanwhile, one of the members of the Governing Council, Mr. Yinka Olojede had earlier confessed that they shared the funds meant for the project in question (Amphitheatre) with maturity as being directed by Mr. Akande and Mr. Niyi Akande as well connive with one of his cronies who floated a Consultancy firm named JAC DIRAN LIMITED, through which he fraudulently collected about Twelve million Naira (N12m) from the amphitheatre project apart from N107million earlier approved to the Contractor which One Hundred and Two million (N102m) released to the

contractor.

“Furthermore, Mr. Oyeniyi Akande engages at will various Consultants, who are mostly his associates and cronies, to handle and or oversee the College’s projects and activities, even, where there were staffs of the college so designated to do the job. He unilaterally decides whooping amounts of funds to be paid these Consultants and many of them do not deliver the contracts to the specification. One of such was the College’s website (Internet facility) and several millions of naira was committed to the project and the Consultant/Contractor failed to deliver the job since three (3) years ago. Akande’s numerous consultants are the drain-pipes through which the College’s Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs) are being siphoned”.

The Petition further stated that, “under the chairmanship of Mr. Oyeniyi Akande, the Governing council threw decorum into wind by increasing the stipulate fees for collection of Certificates by the Students from five thousand naira (N5, 000) to twelve thousand naira (N12, 000) and Ten Thousand naira (N10, 000) to Twenty-two thousand

naira (N22, 000) for NCE and Degree graduates respectively. And, substantial part of the proceeds realized was siphoned by the Council Chairman.

“Also, the College engages in commercial transportation for convenience of the Staff and Students where two Coaster buses were procured for daily shuttle and hire and as at today, over Ten million naira (N10m) have been realized and squandered by the Governing Council Chairman, Mr. Oyeniyi Akande. It will interest you to hear that Mr. Oyeniyi Akande as Chairman of the Governing Council of the College, hides under the guise of being the younger brother to the former Interim National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, to use the hard- earned funds of the institution to run his Private owned Ila Technical College which had just only fourteen students for the Period of two session”.

It added that, “It is also on record that Mr. Oyeniyi Akande unilaterally increased his own monthly allowances from One Hundred and Ten Thousand naira (N110,000) to one Hundred and Fifty naira(N150,000) and those of other members of the Governing Council from sixty eight Thousand seven Hundred and fifty naira(N68,750) to One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000) since 2014 which contrary to the Osun State Government Circular with Ref No: S/PRI/23/187 (composition of Boards and the Remuneration of Members), due Process and College Edict.

The group therefore urged at the anti-graft Commission to request for all the flight tickets of all the travel allowance from Abuja to Ila-Orangun,Osun State, being claimed by the Part-Time Chairman of Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun, Governing Council, Mr. Oyeniyi Akande for the period of 2013 to March 2016.

Osun group drags Bisi Akande’s brother, 9 others before EFCC over diversion of N.3billon College Funds

EFCC revisits case against Obanikoro’s son over alleged subsidy fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is set to reopen a case of alleged subsidy fraud against an oil company, MOB Integrated Services Limited, which is headed by Mr. Gbolahan Obanikoro, a son of a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro.

Obanikoro

The company was said to have made three transactions valued at N5,393,592,906.62.

Investigations, however, allegedly revealed that the company only made one transaction valued at N3,261,263,992.52 verified as legitimate.

The difference of over N2bn was said to have been allegedly diverted as MOB did not make the needed oil supply.

The Aigboje Imokhuede-led Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation had referred MOB and about 47 other companies to the EFCC and the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police for investigation in 2012.

Sources at the commission told our correspondent that after Obanikoro was appointed the Minister of State for Defence, the case was suspended indefinitely.

The source added, “Gbolahan Obanikoro is the Managing Director of the said company and the company was among those given subsidy money.

“The company was given N5,393,592,906.62 for three separate transactions for fuel importation. However, only one transaction worth N3,261,263,992.52 was verified. We believe that the remaining money was diverted.

“The SFU started investigations into the matter but it was then referred to the EFCC under the leadership of Ibrahim Lamorde. However, the matter was secretly quashed after Obanikoro was appointed a minister.”

Obanikoro’s two sons, Gbolahan and Babajide, are under investigation by the commission as part of the probe into the $2.1bn meant for arms procurement.

The EFCC had allegedly traced the sum of N4.75bn to the account of Silva McNamara Limited with Diamond Bank with links to the family of the former minister.

The two sons of Obanikoro were said to have been board members of the company when the said transaction took place.

They had, however, denied that they were still on the board of the company when the alleged transaction took place.

Investigations into the Obanikoros have been stalled due to the fact that they have all relocated to the United States.

When contacted on the telephone, a spokesperson for the Obanikoros, who did not want his name in print, said the allegation in question was an old one, adding that MOB Integrated Services had been cleared.

He said, “Authorities don’t announce to the media when they are set to launch or reopen an investigation. It is customary for them to extend a formal invitation. ‘‘Moreover, our company was thoroughly investigated painstakingly for over two years with maximum cooperation on the subject matter by both the EFCC and the SFU; so, one truly wonders the source of this story.”

EFCC revisits case against Obanikoro’s son over alleged subsidy fraud

EFCC yet to ask for Adoke’s extradition - AGF source

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, has not received any request from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to commence extradition proceedings against his predecessor, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, a source confirmed to our correspondent on Friday.

Adoke, who has been outside the country since last year, refused to honour an invitation by the anti-graft agency to answer questions about his roles in the $2bn Malabu oil deal.

Only the AGF office can initiate extradition proceedings against any person who is abroad but being wanted in Nigeria or vice-versa.

Many had thought that the mutual legal assistance Nigeria recently signed with some countries were targeted at some former government officials, such Adoke, who is being sought by the EFCC for questioning.

The former minister confirmed his invitation by the EFCC in his widely reported letter, dated December 31, 2015 and addressed to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.

Adoke stated that three weeks before writing the letter to the Vice President, the  Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation informed him that the Federal Ministry of Justice received a letter from the EFCC inviting him (Adoke) to its office for an interview on the Malabu Oil Transaction with Shell/ENI.

He said he had asked for the rescheduling of the said EFCC interview for December 28, 2015 to enable him to conclude his semester examinations at the University of Leiden, in the Netherlands, where he said he was pursuing an Advanced LL.M Degree in Public International Law.

He explained in the letter, in which he maintained his innocence on the roles he played in the Malabu oil deal, that he later decided not to honour the invitation by the EFCC because he realised it was allegedly designed to humiliate him.

A credible source in the office of the AGF told our correspondent on Sunday that the minister had not received any request for assistance on how to compel his predecessor to appear before the EFCC for questioning.

The source said, “Yes, the AGF has a supervisory role on the EFCC but will not unduly interfere with the agencies’ work.

“The EFCC has the power to make anybody answer questions with respect to an investigation and the AGF is always ready to render assistance to the commission where necessary. But the EFCC has not made any request to the AGF as far as the case of the former minister (Adoke) is concerned.

“If the AGF receives any of such requests, he will be willing to grant it.”

When contacted by our correspondent on Tuesday, EFCC’s spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, promised to find out details about the plan of the anti-graft agency  in response to Adoke’s refusal to honour the invitation for questioning.

He promised to give a feedback to our correspondent but that did not happen as of the time of filing this report about 6pm on Sunday.

Adoke was invited by the anti-graft agency to explain his roles in the decision to settle out of court between the parties involved in the Oil Prospecting Licence 245 deal which led to the Federal Government being paid only $210m out of the $2bn.

The EFCC wants Adoke to explain how huge sums of money were paid to certain individuals and groups named in the deal.

Maintaining his innocence, Adoke had in his letter to the Vice President, referred to some online publications, which he said indicated that the investigation into the Malabu deal was allegedly orchestrated to malign him.

The letter had read in part, “It is apparent from these publications that the intention is not necessarily the clarifications sought by the EFCC, but a carefully orchestrated plan for my assured unjustified persecution, humiliation and disgrace by a known group with interest in the Malabu matter that is aggrieved over my official role in the resolution of the case.

“The said group has now joined forces with those desperate to malign me by using the present investigation by the EFCC to humiliate my person. My refusal to take a particular position they had sought and impressed upon me after the resolution of the matter was concluded is the root of all this blackmail.

“Your Excellency, I make bold to state that any responsible Attorney General of the Federation would have done what I did to safeguard the interest of the country and avoid a liability that potentially stood against the country.”

EFCC yet to ask for Adoke’s extradition - AGF source

Colonel Nicholas Ashinze Finally Relesaed From EFCC/Army Gulag

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has released Colonel Nicholas Ashinze who has been in custody gulag since December 23, 2015.

He was released on Wednesday from the Mogadishu Military Cantonment by the military authorities.

This is sequel to an earlier order made by the Hon. Justice Y. Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court N0.32, sitting at Jabi, Abuja, in a fundamental rights case argued by Col Ashinze’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN.

It will be recalled that the Hon. Justice Halilu, had in his ruling while ordering the unconditional release of Col. Nicholas Ashinze with his confiscated properties, from the custody of the EFCC/Military authorities for nearly three months, lambasted the EFCC and the Army for failing to obey constitutional provisions dealing with the rights and liberties of a serving Colonel alleged to have committed an offence.

The judge had stated the motto of the EFCC which states that “Nobody is above the Law” also applies to all investigating authorities, including EFCC, but which has been behaving as if it is above the law.

He termed the action of EFCC and the Army as akin to what obtains in an uncivilized society, still living under military dictatorship. He also described the EFCC and Army as behaving like illiterates.

“This judgment and the subsequent release from custody today of Colonel Ashinze, are no doubt a great triumph for the rule of law, re-establishment of the sanctity and independence of the Judiciary, and a clarion call on all investigating agencies to act within the confines of the rule of law and not to see themselves as maximum dictators and tyrants, who are above the law, in their perceived fight against corruption.

“The unusual courage and daring bravado of Justice Halilu under the present clime of simulated fear and barefaced intimidation of the Judiciary by the Executive, are to be applauded as signposting a ray of hope in the wilderness of jungle justice and blatant violations of the cherished rights, freedoms and liberties of Nigerian citizens” Chief Ozekhome said.

Colonel Nicholas Ashinze Finally Relesaed From EFCC/Army Gulag

SSS, EFCC fail to produce ex-NSA Dasuki in court

The failure of the Department of the State Security Service (SSS) to produce former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, before an Abuja High Court Wednesday, has again stalled Mr. Dasuki’s trial for alleged corruption.

Former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki

At the resumed hearing, Rotimi Jacob, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s counsel, told Justice Baba Yusuf that Mr. Dasuki refused to be in court on the grounds that his lawyers, Joseph Daudu and Ahmed Raji, would not be in court.

The prosecutor told the court that he persuaded the defendant to come to court to see how the proceedings would be conducted, but that Mr. Dasuki refused.

He therefore asked the court to begin the trial in the absence of the defendant.

Mr. Jacob also told the court that an operative of the SSS told him that the counsels to the defendant had never made any attempt to go to the SSS Office to see their client, who has been in their custody since December 2015.

Mr. Jacob said the refusal of the defendant to be in court was a ploy to scuttle the trial.

However, Wale Balogun, Mr. Dasuki’s lawyer urged Justice Baba Yusuf to disregard the claim of the prosecution, saying as of Wednesday, Mr. Dasuki was still denied access to his lawyers.

Mr. Balogun said Mr. Jacob’s claim that an operative of SSS told him (Jacob) that Mr. Dasuki’s lawyers never made attempts to see him in the custody was “baseless and unwarranted” because he was quoting a third-party.

Mr. Dasuki’s lawyer said on the contrary it was the SSS and the prosecution that scuttled the trial by their deliberate refusal to produce the defendant who has been in their custody since last year in court.

The counsel said as the prosecutor, Mr. Jacob could not give evidence from the bar on why the defendant was not brought to court. He said what he ought to have done was to have filed an affidavit evidence to explain to the court why the defendant was not in court.

Mr. Balogun insisted that the accused could not be tried in his absence and without access to his lawyers to prepare effective defence. He added that the prosecution would continue to bungle the trial until they resolved to obey the rule of law and take necessary steps required by law.

The position of Dasuki’s lawyer was adopted by lawyers standing for other defendants in the criminal charges brought against Mr. Dasuki.

Justice Baba Yusuf, in his comment, agreed that the trial should have commenced, but said that could not happen in the absence of the defendant and without the permission of the court.

The judge said he would have agreed with the prosecution that lawyers to Mr. Dasuki had not made any effort to access their clients in the custody, but said it was clear the information was hearsay obtained from unnamed SSS Operatives.

The judge, therefore agreed with the defence counsel on the need to adjourn the case. He adjourned the case to April 6 for the prosecution to produce the defendant in court.

SSS, EFCC fail to produce ex-NSA Dasuki in court

EFCC to try Tompolo separately over N45.9bn fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday separated a former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, from 40 counts of alleged N45.9bn fraud it filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Tompolo

Tompolo was listed as the first accused person in the charge, which the EFCC filed in January before Justice Ibrahim Buba.

Listed as his co-accused persons in the charge were a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi,  Kime Engozu, Rex Elem, Gregory Mbonu and Capt. Warredi Enisuoh.

The five were charged alongside four companies – Global West Vessel Specialist Limited, Odimiri Electrical Limited, Boloboere Property, Estate Limited and Destre Consult Limited.

But efforts to arraign them had failed since January following Tompolo’s  refusal to honour the court summons issued to him to appear in court.

At the Tuesday proceedings, neither Tompolo nor  his lawyers, Messrs Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, appeared in court.

The EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Festus Keyamo, told the judge that the charge had been amended with Tompolo’s name removed.

He said Tompolo, who is wanted by the anti-graft agency, would now be arraigned and tried separately from the others.

Keyamo said he had served the amended charge sheet on the other nine accused persons and urged the court to take their pleas.

The 40 counts levelled against them by the EFCC border on conspiracy, theft and fraudulent conversion of money  belonging to NIMASA to their private pockets.

The EFCC said the accused persons acted contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and were liable to punishment under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

But upon reading the charges to them on Tuesday,  the nine accused persons pleaded not guilty to the entire 40 counts.

Justice Buba later admitted them to bail in the sum of N50m.

He adjourned till May 23 for their trial to commence.

Meanwhile, the judge also adjourned till April 18 for the EFCC to arraign Akpobolokemi and others on another 22 counts. Tompolo had also been listed as the 1st defendant in the charge, but his name was removed following his failure to show up to answer the charges.

The EFCC said he would also be arranged separately on the 22 counts whenever he was produced before the court.

Justice Buba had since January 14 issued a warrant for his arrest. The said warrant was renewed on February 8.

He is also praying the appellate court to order the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, to reassign his case from Justice Buba to another judge, adding that he was afraid he might not get justice before Justice Buba.

EFCC to try Tompolo separately over N45.9bn fraud

BREAKING: Submit yourself for trial, Supreme Court orders Kalu

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered a former Abia State Governor, Orji Kalu, to submit himself  for trial on the money laundering charges instituted against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2007.

‎The apex court also dismissed a similar appeal by an associate to the former governor, Udeh Jones Udehogow on similar grounds..

Justice Suleiman Galadima, who read the lead judgments in both appeals, upheld the concurrent decisions of the Federal High Court, Abuja and the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, which had both earlier dismissed the accused persons’ objection to their trial.

The five-man panel of the apex court directed the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to assign both cases to new judges for hearing.

Details later…

BREAKING: Submit yourself for trial, Supreme Court orders Kalu

How Badeh diverted NAF’s N558m monthly for 15 months – Witness

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday alleged that a former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh (retd.), diverted N558,200,000 monthly from the account of the Nigerian Air Force when Badeh was the Chief of Air Staff.

Alex Badeh Ibrahim Seid Mahamat

The anti-graft agency said this when it opened its case against the ex-CDS before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

The EFCC is prosecuting Badeh alongside a firm, Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, on 10 counts of money laundering bordering on alleged fraudulent removal of about N3.97bn from the NAF’s account.

The commission alleged that Badeh used the fund to buy and develop landed assets in Abuja for himself and his two sons between January and December 2013.

Badeh served as the Chief of Air Staff and later became the Chief of Defence Staff till he retired from the military last year.

He attended the Wednesday’s proceedings from prison and returned there after the court session as he had yet to meet the N2bn bail condition imposed on him by the court.

Testifying as the first prosecution witness on Wednesday, a former Director of Finance and Account of the NAF, Air Commodore Aliyu Yishau (retd.), narrated how he routinely helped Badeh to divert the sum of N558.2m by converting it to its dollar equivalent.

He said he usually handed the dollar equivalent of the money to Badeh at his official residence on a monthly basis.

Yishau, who was led in evidence by the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), said the diversion took place from September 2012 to December, 2013, when Badeh served as the Chief of Air Staff.

The witness, who testified for about six hours on Wednesday, said the NAF usually received monthly allocations in its Capital Vote account with the Central Bank of Nigeria in Lagos; the Overhead Vote account with the Zenith Bank Plc and the Personnel and Emolument Vote account with the UBA.

He said the sum of N558.2m was drawn from the Personnel and Emolument account as fund meant for “general administration of the Chief of Air Staff”’.

Yishau told Justice Okon Abang on Wednesday that he aided Badeh to acquire and develop landed assets in Abuja with the N558.2m, which was being drawn from the Personnel Emolument account of the NAF on a monthly basis.

He said the N558.2m was part of the excess in the N4bn, which the NAF received monthly in the personnel and emolument account after the salaries and allowances of permanent and temporary staff must have been paid.

He said, “Although, I cannot remember the figure each year, we received a little about N4bn monthly for the personnel emolument allocation account. However, our total wage bill as of that time was above N2bn monthly.

“The balance of the personnel emolument was usually about N1.6bn to N1.7bn, depending on the month. Out of this amount, the sum of N558,200,000 was for the general administration of the Chief of Army Staff monthly.

“Concerning the N558,200,000, the instruction was always given to me as the Director of Accounts and I passed same instruction to the Finance Officer at the headquarters of NAF camp, Abuja.

“The money is changed to dollar, when this money is changed, it was brought to me and I would take it to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh, at his official residence in Niger Barracks.”

He said there were no documents showing the monthly deliveries of the dollar equivalent of the N558.2m to Badeh because it was not the practice in the military to request a written agreement.

He said, “As military officers, we don’t request for any agreement. However, in some cases, I told the finance officers to meet me at the Air House in Niger Barracks with the money so that he could see when I handed over the money to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh.

“The instruction for conversion is not in writing. The Chief of Air Staff does give many instructions that are not in writing.

“The only instructions that were in writing were those requests forwarding instructions from branches and units for approval. When the approvals are given, they are forwarded to my office for necessary payment action.”

He said he did not directly benefit from the monthly diversion of the N558.2m but that Badeh helped him to complete the landed assets he was constructing in Abuja and Kaduna.

According to him, all the said landed assets had been marked by the EFCC.

The witness, who said Badeh was the second Chief of Air Staff that he served as the Director of Finance Accounts, added that Badeh’s predecessor, M. D. Umar, was still being investigated by the EFCC.

Yishau explained that Badeh provided the dollar equivalents for the purchase of the various properties, which he assisted him to locate in various parts of Abuja.

The witness said he helped Badeh to purchase the property allegedly at No. 6, Ogun River Street, Off Danube Street, Maitama, Abuja, with dollar equivalent of N1.1bn.

He added, “Sometimes in January 2013, when I was taking the normal amount to him (Chief of Air Staff) in dollars, he directed that we should pay for the house. So he brought out the balance in dollars and made up the equivalent of N1.1bn.

“I gave the money to Barrister Hussein Umar and asked him to pay for the house. After the payment, it took sometime before the necessary documents were prepared. But Hussein Umar asked me the names to put on the documents. I asked the Chief Air Staff under which name he wanted the documents to be prepared.”

How Badeh diverted NAF’s N558m monthly for 15 months – Witness

EFCC traces N3bn transfers to Fani-Kayode, Falae, others March 15, 2016

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has traced N3.145bn transferred to the private accounts of some members of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation.

Olu Falae

According to detectives at the EFCC, the money emanated from the account of the Central Bank of Nigeria and was transferred to the account of a company, Joint Dimensions Limited, and then sent to various accounts.

Authorities of the anti-graft commission said out of the money, the Director of Publicity of the organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, received N840m.

According to the documents sighted by our correspondent, the money was deposited into Fani-Kayode’s Zenith bank account, Maitama Branch with number 1004735721 on February 19, 2015.

The detectives said a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Chief Olu Falae, received N100m through a company, Marreco Limited, where he is chairman. The fund was credited into the company’s United Bank for Africa Plc account number 1000627022 on March 25, 2014.

According to the documents, N320m was also paid into the bank account of the Goodluck Support Group, an association which played a major role in Jonathan’s campaign.

A former Governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa, and a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Viola Onwuliri, according to the documents, got N350m in two tranches. The first tranche of N150m was paid into their joint account with Zenith bank on January 13, 2015. The second tranche of N200m was credited into their account with Diamond bank.

A source at the anti-graft agency who pleaded not to be named because he is not authorised to speak said, “The money was paid by the Central Bank of Nigeria into the account of the Ministry of External Affairs Library, from where it was moved into the account of Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited.

“It was from the Joint Dimension’s account with Zenith bank that the money was shared to various individuals and organisations for purposes that are not stated.

“Fani-Kayode was the chief beneficiary of the disbursement as he allegedly received a whooping N840m, paid in three tranches into his Zenith bank, Maitama branch account with number 1004735721.

“The first tranche of payment involving N350m hit the account on February 19, 2015. Another N250m was also paid into the account on February19, 2015 while N240m was similarly credited to the account a month later; precisely, March 19, 2015.

“The balance in this account as of December 31, 2015 was N189, 402.72.”

The detectives added that the Director of Finance of the campaign organisation, Nenadi Usman, also got N36.9m through her Zenith bank account with number 1000158311 on 7, Kachia Road, Kaduna.

Presidential Campaign Coordinator of President Goodluck Jonathan in Anambra State, Chief Okey Ezenwa, who is also the brother-in-law to a former Rivers State Governor, Chief Peter Odili, also got N100m, according to the source.

He added, “But as things stand, the fact that most of the payments were made in the weeks preceding the last presidential elections leaves very little to the imagination. Yet, one knotty question that confronts the investigators is the unknown figure behind Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited and the account where the money was warehoused before being wired to sundry beneficiaries. The shadowy figure could help unravel the mystery shrouding the payments, once the veil is lifted.”

However, Fani-Kayode told our correspondent on the telephone that he never received money from the CBN.

Rather, he said the monies that were spent were received from Usman who was the director of finance of the campaign organisation.

The former Minister of Aviation said he never spent government funds but was told by Usman that the monies were sourced from private donations.

He said, “I served as the director of publicity and I was told to set up an account for the directorate, which I did. I never received money from the CBN but like all the other directors, we received money from the director of finance.

“I was assured that the monies were not public funds but were sourced from private individuals. I never knowingly spent government money all through. The monies were spent specifically on the campaigns. The accounts were audited and we were commended by the President.”

All attempts to get Usman proved abortive as her phone indicated that it was switched off.

Similarly, the phone number of Falae indicated that it was switched off when our correspondent attempted to reach him for comment.

However, the former SGF had said he received money to campaign for Jonathan through a former Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih

When contacted on the telephone, Udenwa told our correspondent that he never received any money as he did not even operate a Zenith bank account.

“I don’t operate a Zenith bank account, so, I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said.

EFCC traces N3bn transfers to Fani-Kayode, Falae, others March 15, 2016

Feel free to probe Jonathan over corruption - Presidency tells EFCC

The Presidency has said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is free to investigate former President Goodluck Jonathan.

EFCC

The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, who stated this in Abuja on Friday, also explained that there was no secret pact between President Buhari and Jonathan to exclude the ex-President from the list of corrupt people to be probed by this administration.

There have been calls by prominent Nigerians, including the Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, that Buhari should authorise the EFCC to probe and prosecute Jonathan.

Ndume had said, “Nobody is supposed to be above the law. If Jonathan is a culprit, he should face the law. If there is evidence that the former President should face the law, then, he should. After all, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

Adesina told Saturday PUNCH that the Presidency had given the anti-corruption body a free hand to investigate and try anybody involved in corrupt practices. He said that the President was not interested in teleguiding the anti-graft agency.

Saturday PUNCH had asked Adesina if the EFCC would need the permission of the President before probing Jonathan. He was also asked to react to an allegation that Buhari had been reluctant to grant permission to the EFCC to investigate Jonathan.

In his response, Adesina said, “The President does not teleguide the EFCC in any way.”

Also, the Presidency on Friday said that Buhari did not sign any pact with former President Goodluck Jonathan or any past President, exempting them from being probed.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with one of our correspondents.

Shehu said that being an open person, Buhari would never go into a secret pact with anybody, especially concerning his administration’s ongoing anti-graft war.

He said that anything could be expected in the ongoing anti-graft war, which he described as “open-ended”.

The presidential spokesman said, “There is no secret pact between President Buhari and any past President.

“If you know or understand him, President Buhari is not the kind of person who will go into secret agreements. He is open about everything he does.

“The war against corruption is open-ended. Nobody knows how it will end.”

Shehu, however, ruled out the possibility that Buhari might have been on a witch hunt in his fight against graft.

He said government’s position is that former government officials can return their loots in order to escape investigation and trial.

He also declared that the current administration’s war against corruption knows neither friend nor foe.

He said, “But the President is not on a witch hunt. If you remember his acceptance speech after being announced as the winner of the 2015 general elections, he said without any equivocation that he would not victimise or subject anyone to witch hunt.

“One thing very clear from the way he has carried on with the war against corruption is that past officials of government have a window to return looted funds to avoid investigation and trials which may be drawn out and sometimes inimical to the exercise.

“People can help themselves and help the country without being noisy about anything.

“The President is aware that he is under watch, locally and internationally, in his handling of the war against corruption.

“Whatever international support he will get will depend on how open and effective his government is in carrying out the anti-graft war.

“To that extent, the war against corruption knows neither friend nor foe.”

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the EFCC had been under pressure to summon the former president over investigations into the $2.1bn arms probe.

It was learnt that the commission had already compiled statements by suspects arrested over the arms probe and some of them required the invitation of the former president to make clarifications.

It was gathered that the Jonathan issue had been discussed at a high level of the Buhari administration and the signal or the body language the commission was getting from the government was that investigations should not be extended to the former President for now.

No instruction not to probe Jonathan—EFCC

But the spokesperson for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said he could not confirm if Jonathan would be arrested or not.

Uwujaren said it was not the habit of the commission to announce when it would arrest anybody and that its investigations were usually discreet.

The EFCC spokesman said, “I can’t speak on that (Jonathan’s arrest). We don’t announce ahead of time if people are to be arrested.”

When asked if it was true that the EFCC had been instructed not to investigate Jonathan, Uwujaren said, “I don’t respond to speculations. Who will give us that kind of instruction? Is there someone that gives us instructions on which case to investigate or not?”

In practice, the EFCC needs Buhari’s approval —Sagay

However, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), said in theory, the EFCC did not need the approval or permission of the President to arrest anyone since the commission had been empowered by an Act.

But, he said in practice, the anti-graft agency would need to inform the President.

He said it would be necessary because of the sensitivity of such an arrest, adding that Nigeria’s democracy had never witnessed the arrest of a former President before.

Sagay said, “The law is clear. There is no such limitation on the part of the EFCC under the EFCC Act. If anyone has committed any offence relating to economic and financial crimes, such a person can be investigated and if there is evidence, the person can be prosecuted. The law is clear that no presidential permission is needed.

“But we are talking of a former head of state here and I think it will be extremely imprudent of the EFCC to just go and knock on his door and detain him. Definitely, it is my personal view that there is a protocol. My personal view is that the EFCC will need clearance from the President himself if the commission needs to arrest a former President.”

Many of the suspects arrested in relation to the arms probe had at one time or the other, claimed that they received express or indirect approval from former President.

For instance, the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, who is being prosecuted by the anti-graft agency for allegedly receiving N400m from the Office of the former National Security Adviser, allegedly used the money to fund Jonathan’s campaign.

Metuh, who filed a no-case submission through his lead counsel, Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), argued that the EFCC should have called Jonathan as a witness but the commission rejected the advice.

Similarly, the former Aide-de-Camp to the ex-President, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe, who was arrested in connection with an alleged N10bn given to chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, said he only ‘delivered parcels on the instruction of Jonathan.’

He also told EFCC operatives that as a serving military officer, he was bound by his oath of commission into the Nigerian Armed Forces and would not divulge official secrets which he swore to keep but the anti-graft agency never invited Jonathan.

Also, a former Chairman of Daar Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, who is also being prosecuted by the anti-corruption agency for receiving N2.1bn through the ONSA, was said to have collected the money on the instruction of Jonathan.

In an open letter dated December 6, 2015, the Dokpesi family said the N2.1bn was indeed for a proposal by Daar Investment and Holdings Company Ltd to “promote and project the achievements and highlight the challenges of his (Jonathan’s) government whilst demystifying false information gleefully circulated by the propaganda machinery of the then opposition party.”

The proposal, the family said, was submitted to Jonathan in person by Dokpesi and his team in the presence of former Vice-President Namadi Sambo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), accused of diverting $2.1bn meant for the procurement of arms, also claimed he had received Jonathan’s approval.

Similarly, a former Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Aminu Baba-Kusa, in his statement of witness filed in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, said N2.2bn was spent on prayers to hasten the defeat of Boko Haram, adding that the money, which was received through the ONSA was approved by the Jonathan-led Federal Government.

Feel free to probe Jonathan over corruption - Presidency tells EFCC