The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has
seized some properties said to belong to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti
State.
It was learnt that the properties located in the
highbrow areas of Lagos and Abuja were seized as part of investigations into
the N1.219bn the governor allegedly received from the Office of the National
Security Adviser when Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) held sway, through a former
Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, as well as some kickbacks he
(Fayose) allegedly received from the Ekiti State Government contractors.
The anti-graft agency has also quizzed a former
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, on his alleged
role in the $15bn arms scam.
Falae was grilled by investigators at the commission’s office on Thursday.
Investigators told one of
our correspondents that the seized houses belonging to Fayose were allegedly
purchased with stolen funds and the EFCC invoked the Assets Forfeiture clause to
seize the properties in line with Sections 28 and 34 of the EFCC (Establishment
Act) 2004 and Section 13(1) of the Federal High Court Act, 2004.
The seizure came less
than a month after the governor’s three Zenith Bank accounts were frozen by the
anti-graft agency.
One of our
correspondents, who visited two of the properties on 32 Yedseram Street and 44
Osun River Crescent, Maitama, Abuja, observed the inscriptions ‘EFCC, Keep Off’
on the fences.
According to court
documents filed by the EFCC, the property on Osun River Crescent was bought by
Fayose in the name of his London-based sister, Mrs. Moji Ladeji.
The governor reportedly
pulled down the structure of one of the Abuja properties and started building a
new one.
The two properties, which
are uncompleted buildings, were said to be worth over N470m.
Sunday PUNCH learnt that the properties in Lagos were four duplexes
located at Plot 100 Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island. The four duplexes
cost $1.3m (N364m) each.
They were allegedly
bought through a company, JJ Technical.
The EFCC had in a
10-paragraph counter-affidavit deposed to by Tosin Owobo accused Fayose of
using the proceeds of crime to purchase properties.
The affidavit read in
part, “Apart from fraudulently retaining the sum of N1, 219,490,000 being part
of the N4, 745,000,000 stolen from the treasury of the Federal Government
through the Office of the National Security Adviser, the applicant (Fayose) has
also received gratification in form of kickbacks from various contractors with
the Ekiti State Government such as Samchese Nigeria Ltd, Tender Branch Concept
Nig. Ltd, Hoff Concept Ltd and Calibre Consulting Ltd.
“The applicant (Fayose)
received these kickbacks and gratification through Still Earth Ltd and
Signachorr Nigeria Limited. In turn, the applicant (Fayose) instructed the
Still Earth Ltd and Signachoor Nigeria Limited to use the funds to acquire
properties for him.
“In complying with the
applicant’s instruction, Still Earth Limited and Signachoor Nigeria Limited
acquired properties on behalf of the applicant (Fayose) in the name of a
company known as J.J Technical Services Limited belonging to the applicant
(Fayose) and his wife (Feyisetan).
“That the applicant
(Fayose) also used the name of one Mrs. Moji Ladeji (the applicant’s sister) to
acquire a property situated at 44, Osun Crescent, Maitama Abuja, from the
proceeds of the alleged offences of receiving gratification and kickbacks.”
In his reaction, however,
Fayose said all properties linked to him were not bought with stolen funds.
In a statement by his
Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the
governor said any property that might be linked to him or his company was
“bought legitimately and his properties were duly declared in his assets
declaration form and sources of such funds were not illicit.”
He said since the money
he got for his election was from legitimate sources and not from the ONSA, “how
the money was spent remained his own business and not that of anyone.”
Mrs. Oyin Daramola, an
estate agent and owner of Still Earth Ltd, was quoted as telling investigators
that she indeed sold the Victoria Island properties to Fayose. She said she
rejected the idea of receiving payment through contracts.
Meanwhile, Falae, who was
quizzed on Thursday by the anti-graft agency, had in February admitted to
collecting N100m from a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Board
of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, during the build-up to the 2015 presidential
election.
The money was reportedly
given to Falae to get his party, the SDP, to endorse the then President,
Goodluck Jonathan, and campaign for him.
However, the N100m was
said to have emanated from the imprest account of the ONSA domiciled in the
Central Bank of Nigeria.
The money, which Falae
got was said to be part of the N3.145bn transferred from the account of the
ONSA to the bank account of Joint Trust Dimensions Limited, a company allegedly
owned by the Director of Finance of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign
Organisation, Senator Nenadi Usman.
On Anenih’s instruction,
Usman was said to have transferred N100m into a UBA account titled Marecco
Nigeria Limited with number 1000627022, which allegedly belongs to Falae.
Others who allegedly
received part of the fund were a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode
(N840m) and two former ministers, Achike Udenwa and Viola Onwuliri, who jointly
received N350m in two tranches.
An investigator at the
anti-graft agency told our correspondent that Falae was grilled for several
hours and then allowed to go home on the condition that he would return in the
next two weeks.
The source said Falae
admitted to receiving the fund but maintained that he did not know that the
money emanated from the ONSA.
However, investigators
were said to have rattled the 78-year-old elder statesman with fresh facts.
A detective said, “Chief
Falae came to our office based on an invitation. He told us the story of how he
received N100m based on the instruction of Anenih. However, our investigations
revealed that Falae only transferred N60m to his party, SDP.
“The remaining N40m was
personally withdrawn by him, which means it was not used for campaign. When he
was confronted, he started appealing to us that he did not want to be detained
or taken to court, so we told him to go and bring the N40m first.
“He said we should give
him some time, so we have given him two weeks to go and bring the money and
then report back to us.”
Asked if the EFCC was
willing to charge Falae having frozen his account, the detective said, “Chief
Falae, is a former Permanent Secretary and Minister of Finance. There is no way
he would not have known that the deal was shady.
“If he really wanted to
use the money for campaign, why didn’t he ask that the N100m be paid into the
account of the SDP? Also, why didn’t he question the source of the fund when it
did not emanate from the account of the PDP? Why did he keep N40m to himself?
“We are not victimising
any political party or investigating the source of campaign funds. All we are
doing is tracing the billions of dollars stolen from the ONSA account. Once you
return the money, you will have no problem.”
Falae, while admitting in
February that he collected N100m, had said, “It is true that N100m was given to
my party to endorse and work for (former President Goodluck Jonathan’s
candidature in the 2015 election. We used the money for that purpose and we
effectively campaigned for the PDP since we did not have presidential candidate
in the election. The money was not for me.
“With all the money PDP
has and having spent 16 years in power, how would I have known that the money
was from the arms deal? No reference was made to the arms deal. So, they should
not bring me into the arms issue.”
Falae, while speaking to
one of our correspondents on Saturday confirmed that he was invited by the
EFCC. The elder statesman said he told the anti-graft agency that he didn’t
collect any money from Dasuki.
He said, “It is true that
I was invited by the EFCC and during the interrogation I told them that I
didn’t collect money from Dasuki; that the money given to my party through
Chief Tony Anenih was not given to me personally but to my party, the SDP.
“I also told them that
the money was mainly used for the election. I told them it was an inter-party
arrangement between our party and the PDP and the money was spent on the
election. I didn’t know where the PDP got their money from, it was not my
business but the money given to us had been spent on the election.
“I explained to them
exactly what I said in my interview in the newspapers.”
He, however, declined
comment on whether or not he was asked to come back to the EFCC for further
interrogation.
...Punch
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