…reopens cases towards Fayose, Kwankwaso, Nnamani, Lamido, Sylva, others
•Diezani, different ex-ministers listed as company vows to not spare politically uncovered individuals
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has reopened cash laundering cases towards 13 former governors and a few former ministers, with the quantities concerned operating into over N853.8bn.
Sunday PUNCH findings revealed that the quantity at stake within the high-profile cases involving the previous governors and ex-ministers was not lower than N772.2bn, nevertheless, the anti-graft company is at present investigating the N81.6bn that was allegedly looted within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
However, one other $2.2bn was alleged to have gone lacking by way of cash laundering, fund diversion and misappropriation in latest occasions. The $2.2bn was allegedly diverted by a former National Security 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.
According to the EFCC, the cash was meant for arms procurement in help of the warfare towards terrorists, nevertheless it was laundered, diverted, and misappropriated.
While Dasuki was in custody of the Department of State Services in 2015, the EFCC arrested Dokpesi, Bafarawa, Yuguda and others.
They had 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 apart from arms procurement.
The affected individuals embrace 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 at present 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 Solid Minerals Development in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s cupboard from November 11, 2015 to May 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 Resources, 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 is just not but clear how the probe of the ex-Rivers State governor shall be dealt with as he obtained an order of perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC and different safety companies from a Federal High Court in March 2008, which has not been vacated thus far.
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 cases operating into a number of billions of naira and tens of millions of {dollars}.
Sources aware about the event advised our correspondent on Friday that the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, was reviewing all of the high-profile cases, 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 high profile cases, and he has ordered the investigators not to treat anyone differently, especially politically exposed persons, such as former governors and ministers, who were indicted for money laundering,” an impeccable supply advised 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 Power Project; 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 National Social Investment Programme Agency, Halima Shehu, over alleged N81.6bn fraud uncovered within the ministry.
Sunday PUNCH 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 every one high-profile cases can be reviewed and revisited, whereas noting that indicted former or incumbent public officers’ corruption cases wouldn’t be missed or deserted by the fee.
He made the declaration in Abuja by way of the performing Director of Public Affairs, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, who spoke to journalists following a protest by members of the Zamfara Alternative Forum on the fee’s headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.
Members of the group had urged the anti-graft company to revisit the probe of the instant 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 cases 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 anxious, no person is above the regulation. What the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has finished since assuming workplace is that he has reviewed all of the high-profile cases 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 shall be reviewed, and the chairman assures you that one thing shall be finished beneath the regulation, and nobody is above the regulation and no case shall be swept beneath the carpet.
“Rest assured that these cases will be revisited because the EFCC believes that no case should be swept under the carpet. If you have done something wrong and if our investigation is able to establish that you have a case, we will proceed with the matter.”
On May 18, 2023, the EFCC, by way 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 said, “The cash, which was sourced as a mortgage from an old-generation financial institution purportedly for the execution of tasks throughout the native authorities areas of the state, was allegedly diverted by the governor by way 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.
“Some of the contractors, who had been invited and quizzed by the commission, made startling revelations on how they were allegedly compelled by the governor to return the funds received from the state coffers back to him through his aides after converting the same to United States dollars.”
