EFCC has uncovered evidence showing how N3.145bn was transferred to the private accounts of some members of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation in the buildup to the last presidential election.
Investigators at the EFCC on Monday, March 14 said among those indicted in the multi-billion naira graft are a former aviation minister and director of media for the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign organization, Femi Fani-kayode and a former secretary to the government of the federation and leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Olu Falae; a former finance minister.
Others are; Nenadi Usman; a former Imo state governor, Achike Udenwa; former minister of state for foreign affairs, Viola Onwuliri and politician Okey Ezenwa.
Premium Times, citing an investigator for the anti-graft agency who spoke under the condition of anonymity reports that the money was paid by the Central Bank Nigeria (CNB) into the account of the Ministry of External Affairs’ Library, from where it was moved into the account of a private firm, Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited.
The investigator said the director of publicity of the organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, received N840m which was allegedly paid to him in three tranches. “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 source explained. Next to Fani-Kayode among the alleged beneficiaries was Goodluck Support Group which allegedly received N320million.
The group was headed by Rufai Alkali, a professor and then special adviser on political matters to Jonathan.
The EFCC also indicted Chief Olu Falae for allegedly receiving N100m through a company, Marreco Limited, where he is chairman. Detectives of the agency noted that fund was credited into the company’s United Bank for Africa Plc account number 1000627022 on March 25, 2014. Others named in the money racket are Achike Udenwa and Viola Onwuliri who allegedly got N350million in two tranches.
The first tranche of N150million was paid into their joint account with Zenith bank on January 13, 2015. The second tranche of N200miilion has credited into their account with Diamond bank. Nenadi Usman allegedly received N36.9million through her Zenith Bank account no. 1000158311. Her branch of Zenith Bank is located at 7 Kachia Road, Kaduna.
The Punch reports that Okey Ezenwa, the Presidential Campaign Coordinator of President Goodluck Jonathan in Anambra state,who is also the brother-in-law to a former Rivers state governor, Chief Peter Odili, is also accused of pocketing N100million. A detective told the Punch that: “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, in the light of the new revelations by the EFCC, Fani Kayode has told The Punch that he never received money from the CBN.
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.
In another development, the military plans to prosecute officers undergoing investigation into the $2.1bn arms procurement scandal at a military tribunal subject to the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari.
A government source told The Punch over the weekend that the move to prosecute the officers under a military trial was informed by the fact that the Armed Forces Act had made provision for such infractions on the part of military men and how to handle their cases.
The source added that if the indicted officers were tried using the military rule, it would be better than when they were prosecuted by the regular court.
He said the fact that the money, which is the subject of the investigation, was meant for the procurement of arms for the Nigerian Armed Forces further strengthens the case for a military trial.
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