EFCC Reopens 13 Ex-Governors’ N772bn Fraud Circumstances

EFCC Reopens 13 Ex-Governors’ N772bn Fraud Circumstances

The Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC) has reopened cash laundering circumstances in opposition to 13 former governors and a few former ministers, with the quantities concerned working into over N853.8bn.

Findings by Economic Confidential revealed that the quantity at stake within the high-profile circumstances involving the previous governors and ex-ministers was not lower than N772.2bn, nonetheless, the anti-graft company is presently investigating the N81.6bn that was allegedly looted within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

Nonetheless, one other $2.2bn was alleged to have gone lacking by means of cash laundering, fund diversion and misappropriation in latest occasions. The $2.2bn was allegedly diverted by a former Nationwide Safety Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; late media mogul, Raymond Dokpesi; former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; and former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, and others.

In accordance with the EFCC, the cash was meant for arms procurement in help of the battle in opposition to terrorists, but it surely was laundered, diverted, and misappropriated.

Whereas Dasuki was in custody of the Division of State Companies in 2015, the EFCC arrested Dokpesi, Bafarawa, Yuguda and others.

They have been all arrested after being indicted by a presidential committee that investigated arms procurement beneath former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

The committee stated about $2.2bn was diverted for functions aside from arms procurement.

The affected individuals embody two former Ekiti State governors, Kayode Fayemi and Ayo Fayose; former Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle; two former Enugu State governors, Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime; former Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Adamu; former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Others are former Rivers State governor, Peter Odili; former Abia State governor, Theodore Orji; former Gombe State governor, Danjuma Goje; former Sokoto State governor, Aliyu Wamako; former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva; and former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido.

Matawalle, who’s presently serving because the Minister of Defence within the administration of President Bola Tinubu, is being probed for alleged N70bn cash laundering; whereas Fayemi, who served as Minister of Stable Minerals Growth in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s cupboard from November 11, 2015 to Could 30, 2018, earlier than resigning to contest the governorship election for his second time period, is being investigated for an alleged N4bn fraud, whereas Fayose, a two-term governor of Ekiti State, is being investigated by the anti-graft company for an alleged N6.9bn fraud.

Nnamani is being probed for an alleged N5.3bn fraud; Chime is being investigated over an alleged N450m marketing campaign fraud as a part of the N23bn allegedly shared by a former Minister of Petroleum Assets, Diezani Alison-Madueke, whereas Adamu is beneath probe for alleged N15bn fraud.

Kwakwanso is being probed for alleged non-remittance of N10bn pension fund; Orji is being investigated over alleged N551bn cash laundering; whereas Odili is equally being probed for alleged N100bn fraud. It isn’t but clear how the probe of the ex-Rivers State governor will likely be dealt with as he obtained an order of perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC and different safety businesses from a Federal Excessive Courtroom in March 2008, which has not been vacated to this point.

Goje is being probed by the fee for an alleged N5bn fraud; Wammako is being investigated for allegedly diverting N15bn; Sylva, a former Minister of State for Petroleum beneath Buhari, is beneath probe for alleged N19.2bn cash laundering; whereas Lamido is being investigated over an alleged N1.35bn fraud.

Diezani is being probed over a number of alleged cash laundering circumstances working into a number of billions of naira and tens of millions of {dollars}.

Sources aware of the event instructed our correspondent on Friday that the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, was reviewing all of the high-profile circumstances, and had since his assumption of workplace reappointed investigators to take up the a number of probes with out prejudice to the suspects’ social or political standing.

“The chairman is reviewing all excessive profile circumstances, and he has ordered the investigators to not deal with anybody in another way, particularly politically uncovered individuals, comparable to former governors and ministers, who have been indicted for cash laundering,” an impeccable supply instructed Sunday PUNCH.

The EFCC had additionally just lately commenced the probe of some former ministers, Olu Agunloye (energy, mines and metal), Olu Agunloye, over an alleged $6bn fraud on the Mambilla Energy Challenge; and Sadiya Umar-Farouk (humanitarian affairs), over an alleged N37.1bn fraud.

Agunloye and Umar-Farouq served beneath former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, respectively. The EFCC is probing each former ministers and arraigned Agunloye, who was remanded in a custodial centre pending the perfection of his N50m bail.

The fee can also be probing the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, and the embattled Coordinator of the suspended Nationwide Social Funding Programme Company, Halima Shehu, over alleged N81.6bn fraud uncovered within the ministry.

Economic Confidential learnt that the fee was additionally probing the chief govt officers of a number of banks, civil servants, and contractors in reference to the humongous fraud uncovered within the ministry.

Olukoyede had on Friday declared that each one high-profile circumstances could be reviewed and revisited, whereas noting that indicted former or incumbent public officers’ corruption circumstances wouldn’t be missed or deserted by the fee.

He made the declaration in Abuja by means of the performing Director of Public Affairs, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, who spoke to journalists following a protest by members of the Zamfara Different Discussion board on the fee’s headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.

Members of the group had urged the anti-graft company to revisit the probe of the speedy previous governor of the state, Matawalle, over alleged N70bn cash laundering.

Responding to the request of the protesters, Uwujaren revealed that Olukoyede had reviewed all inherited high-profile circumstances since he assumed workplace, including that the fee would proceed with the probe of each indicted high-profile particular person.

He stated, “I wish to guarantee you that, so far as the fee is worried, no person is above the legislation. What the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has executed since assuming workplace is that he has reviewed all of the high-profile circumstances he inherited.

“And the EFCC Chairman has requested me to guarantee you that this case, like others, is not going to be an exception. The case will likely be reviewed, and the chairman assures you that one thing will likely be executed beneath the legislation, and nobody is above the legislation and no case shall be swept beneath the carpet.

“Relaxation assured that these circumstances will likely be revisited as a result of the EFCC believes that no case ought to be swept beneath the carpet. When you’ve got executed one thing flawed and if our investigation is ready to set up that you’ve got a case, we are going to proceed with the matter.”

On Could 18, 2023, the EFCC, by means of its spokesman, Osita Nwajah, had stated Matawalle was being investigated by the fee over allegations of monumental corruption, award of phantom contracts, and diversion of over N70bn.

He acknowledged, “The cash, which was sourced as a mortgage from an old-generation financial institution purportedly for the execution of initiatives throughout the native authorities areas of the state, was allegedly diverted by the governor by means of proxies and contractors, who acquired cost for contracts that weren’t executed.

“The fee’s investigations revealed that greater than 100 firms acquired funds from the funds, with no proof of service rendered to the state.

“A number of the contractors, who had been invited and quizzed by the fee, made startling revelations on how they have been allegedly compelled by the governor to return the funds acquired from the state coffers again to him by means of his aides after changing the identical to United States {dollars}.”