EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, chairman, Olanipekun Olukoyede on Thursday disclosed how he turned down offers from government officials amounting to N500m during his mother’s funeral in 2019.

The EFCC boss, who spoke at the 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room in Abuja, explained that the substantial gifts, which included cheques and drafts, were sent to him by ministers, directors, MDAs and other high-ranking government officials.

Olukoyede noted that he was serving as the Secretary of the commission at the time he buried his mother.

Recounting how he received the offers, Olukoyede narrated that upon his return to his family home in Ekiti State prior to the burial, his gate man presented those checks to him.

According to him, after reviewing the cheques, he decided to return them.

The EFCC chairman narrated, “I lost my mother in the year 2019 (in Ekiti State). We went for the funeral. I was the secretary of the EFCC then. People came. So I went to my place a day before the funeral service.

By the time I got to my small compound, which I built several years ago before I joined the EFCC, I saw about 17 cows in my compound, including pregnant ones.

“When I got home, my gate man presented a box to me and inside it, I saw so many cheques and drafts from ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, DGs of agencies, etc.

“And so, I went in and showed it to my wife. She said, ‘Praise God’. I said, ‘Praise God for what?’ By the time we put all the cheques together, it counted close to N500m.

I did the burial in September 2019. By July 2020, I was under investigation. Now, assuming all those cheques were paid into my account as traditional gifts and some of the MDAs that we were investigating in the EFCC, some of their directors and their DGs and their ministers sent cheques to me.

“Ordinarily, I mean for burial, some gave me one million, N20m and all of that. Even though that would not have influenced my decision if I was in a position to determine what would happen to their investigations, how would I have explained before a panel that they saw cheques paid into my account?”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has invited two sons of Billionaire industralist, Rasaq Okoya over a viral video showing them abusing the Naira.

Wahab and Subomi went viral last week after a video emerged showing them spraying naira notes from bundles of cash held by their police escort. The video generated outrage on Social Media.

LEADING REPORTERS learned that the invote extended to the brothers was signed by one Micheal Wetkas.

On January 10, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Muyiwa Adejobi, announced that the officer seen in the video had been arrested and detained. He added that the officer would face serious disciplinary actions for unethical behaviour.

“The policeman captured in the recent viral video shared by the sons of the Lagos businessman, Chief Okoya, where they were abusing the naira, has been identified and detained for disciplinary action,” Adejobi wrote on X.

“The involvement of the policeman has been condemned, as it’s unethical. We will always strive hard to uphold the sanctity, credibility, and core values of the police.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has dismissed 27 of its personnel from workforce.

This was contained in a statement by the Commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, on Monday in Abuja

Oyewale said the officers were dismissed for various offenses bordering on fraudulent activities and misconduct.

The commission, however, did not disclose the identity of the fired officers.

According to him, their dismissal followed the recommendation of the Staff Disciplinary Committee of the EFCC, and the ratification by the Chairman of the agency, Ola Olukoyede.

“Every modicum of allegation against any staff of the Commission would always be investigated, including a trending $400,000 claim of a yet-to-be-identified supposed staff of the EFCC against a Sectional Head.

The commission, however, did not disclose the identity of the fired officers.

According to him, their dismissal followed the recommendation of the Staff Disciplinary Committee of the EFCC, and the ratification by the Chairman of the agency, Ola Olukoyede.

“Every modicum of allegation against any staff of the Commission would always be investigated, including a trending $400,000 claim of a yet-to-be-identified supposed staff of the EFCC against a Sectional Head.

“The core values of the Commission are sacrosanct and would always be held in optimal regard at all times,” the statement partly read.

The anti-graft agency also alerted the public to the sinister activities of impersonators and blackmailers using the name of its chairman to extort money from high-profile suspects.

“Two members of an alleged syndicate, Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim were recently arraigned before Justice Jude Onwuebuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Abuja for allegedly contacting a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Kaka and demanding $1million from him for “Olukoyede to give him soft landing” on a non-existing investigation. Such characters are still on the loose seeking victims.

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested the Accountant General of Delta State, Mrs. Joy Enwa, as part of the commission’s ongoing investigation into the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion state funds linked to former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

The EFCC is investigating the alleged diversion of the 13 percent derivation fund earmarked for oil-rich states, which was said to have been looted by Okowa during his tenure as governor.

The former governor was arrested and detained by the EFCC in November this year for his alleged role in the diversion of the funds.

Okowa was taken into custody at the Port Harcourt division of the anti-graft office. He was alleged to have used his office as governor to acquire assets up to N1.3 trillion, including shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Company, among other investments in the oil sector.

Investigation into the alleged diversion of the funds is ongoing, with several individuals, including the Accountant General of Delta State, Mrs. Joy Enwa, and one Ekeruche, former director of finance and administration (DFA) and the director of administration, Government House, already arrested and detained for questioning.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has addressed public speculation surrounding the ownership of a massive estate recently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The property, comprising 753 duplexes and apartments, is located in Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.

Responding to activist Omoyele Sowore’s claims of a “cover-up,” the EFCC clarified that the forfeiture proceedings adhered strictly to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act.

“The EFCC noted that investigations revealed the alleged owners disassociated themselves from the estate, prompting the court to issue a final forfeiture order.

“The allegation of a cover-up of the identity of the promoters of the Estate stands logic on the head in the sense that the proceedings for the forfeiture of the Estate were in line with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act which is a civil proceeding that allows for action-in-rem rather than action-in-personam.

“The latter allows legal actions against a property and not an individual, especially in a situation of an unclaimed property. This Act allows you to take up a forfeiture proceeding against a chattel that is not a juristic person. This is exactly what the Commission did in respect of the Estate.

“The proceedings that yielded the final forfeiture of the Estate were products of actionable intelligence available to the Commission. The company flagged by our investigations denied ownership of the Estate following publications made in leading national newspapers.

“On the basis of this, the Commission approached the court for an order of final forfeiture which Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court granted on Monday, December 2, 2024,” the commission stated.

The EFCC further emphasized that substantive criminal investigations are ongoing and dismissed accusations of shielding individuals behind the estate.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has granted administrative bail to two men – Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu – charged with former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello for allegedly diverting the state’s funds.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had filed a 16 count charge against Bello and the two others, alleging criminal breach of trust to the tune of N110.4billion.

At the mention of the case on Thursday before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) prosecuting lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) told the court that his client has granted administrative bail to Oricha and Hudu.

He noted that Bello was absent despite an earlier summons issued against him. He later sought an adjournment on the grounds that the summons was yet to lapse.

Ruling, Justice Maryanne Anenih ordered the issuance of hearing notice on Bello and adjourned till November 27.

Details shortly…..

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a fundamental rights suit filed by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The suit aims to prevent the EFCC from arresting or prosecuting Sanwo-Olu after his tenure.

The anti-graft body had dismissed the suit as speculative and a mere conjecture.

Recall that the Lagos State Government had denied any involvement in the suit, stating that Sanwo-Olu never authorized any lawyer to file it. Lawal Pedro, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, emphasized that Sanwo-Olu has nearly three years left in office and enjoys constitutional immunity, making the lawsuit unnecessary.

“We need to clarify that Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at no time, sued or briefed any legal practitioner to file a suit on his behalf concerning the above subject matter,” the statement read in part.

The EFCC filed its counter-affidavit on October 31. Ufuoma Ezire, a superintendent and litigation secretary, swore to the counter-affidavit, denying claims of harassment, threats, or investigations against Sanwo-Olu or his staff.

“That I know as a fact that the defendant invites members of the public for interview, interrogation or any engagement vide a written invitation, phone calls or text messages by any of its officers who shall introduce himself or herself by name, rank, designation, and Section to enable the invitee to trace the officer easily.

“That no officer of the defendant could have invited the plaintiff or his aides without furnishing them with such detailed particulars of himself.

“That contrary to the depositions in paragraphs 5 of the plaintiff affidavit, the defendant did not intimidate, harass or threaten the plaintiff or subject him to any trauma,” he said.

He said the agency was unaware of any threat to arrest Mr Sanwo-Olu’s aides.

He also stated that the anti-graft agency was not aware of the “accusation of maladministration or diversion of Lagos State’s funds nor is it aware of any likelihood of a breach of the applicant’s right to liberty or right to own movable and immovable properties in this case.”

“That the action of the plaintiff,, in this case is mere conjecture and speculations as there is no petition or any intel gathered before the defendant to warrant the men and officers of same to invite, threaten to arrest the plaintiff at the moment.

“That the entirety of the dispositions contained in the plaintiffs’ affidavit are not true, as the application is misconceived and brought in bad faith to mislead this honourable court.

“That the defendant is not in a position to deny or confirm the depositions in paragraphs 4 and 4(iii) as the defendant is not a party to the conversation between deponent and the plaintiff.