The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has located the whereabouts of N15billion of the N23.29billion ($115m) allegedly offered as bribe by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in connection with the 2015 elections.
The bribe was for the purpose of compromising the result of the elections which the party’s presidential candidate Dr. Goodluck Jonathan lost to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Fourteen directors of four oil firms suspected of substantially bankrolling the N23.29b poll bribery scandal have also been identified by the anti-graft agency while some former Ministers arrested in connection with the scandal were battling for bail last night.
They are: former Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Dr Nurudeen Muhammad (N 500,000,000) and ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs in the last dispensation, Ambassador Aminu Bashir Wali (N 950,000,000).
Some of their former colleagues are shocked by the alleged involvement of the ex-ministers in the disbursement of the slush funds.
Well placed sources said last night that the EFCC had traced over N15billion of the bribe cash as follows: the Seven North-West states- N5,097,064,000; REC and five others- N681m to; Cross River PDP chairman- N500m; INEC officials in Oyo and Ogun- N359m; Fidelity Bank- profit of N49.7m from the deal; two politicians from South-East- N700m.
The source said: “EFCC chairman Ibrahim Magu and his crack team have gone far in tracing more than N15billion of the N23.29billion which was shared to party leaders and INEC officials in the six geopolitical zones to influence election results and to stop APC from being declared as the winner of the 2015 presidential election.
“Some of the beneficiaries have started refunding the cash given to them. We have the list of all beneficiaries from Fidelity Bank. This is one of the reasons why we kept the MD of the bank and Head of Operations in custody. Our priority is to recover the bribe cash.
“By the time we get reports from all the geopolitical zones, we would have tracked down the bribe sum. Findings confirmed that the poll bribery cash was shared between February and April 2015 in a desperate and untidy manner.
“Our concern is not about any party but the use of proceeds from stolen oil to bribe INEC officials.”
The $115million (N23.29b) bribery scam was allegedly facilitated by the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
One of the 14 bank directors has been quizzed by the anti-graft commission, The Nation gathered yesterday.
The oil barons are believed to have contributed $88.35million of the $115million (N23.29b) remitted to Fidelity Bank by the ex-Minister.
Investigation revealed that the EFCC obtained the list of 14 directors of the firms from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
A source said: “From the list obtained from CAC, about 14 directors of the four oil firms involved in the bribery scandal have been identified.
“We are screening the list to know the roles played by each of the directors in the bribery offer. We will invite these barons for interrogation any moment from now. We will also release their names to the public soon.
“Some of these directors or owners of the oil firms are stakeholders in a few other oil companies which were highly favoured by Diezani.”
Besides Diezani Alison Madueke, who is under investigation abroad, some of those quizzed so far are the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo; Head of Operations, Martin Izuogbe; Cross River State’s Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Ntufam John Okon (N500m); former Minister of State, Foreign Affairs Dr Nurudeen Muhammad( N 500,000,000); ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs in the last dispensation, Ambassador Aminu Bashir Wali– N 950,000,000; Retired INEC staff, Sani Isa — N 406,206,000; Leno Adesanya ($1.85m); Sen. Chris Anyanwu and Mike Ahamba(N700m).
Others are REC Gesil Khan for collecting N185, 842,000 out of a N681million bribe deal; Fidelia Omoile (Electoral Officer in Isoko-South Local Government Area of Delta State)–N112,480,000 ; Uluochi Obi Brown( INEC’s Administrative Secretary in Delta State)–N111,500,000; a former Deputy Director of INEC in Cross River state, Edem Okon Effanga—N241,127,000 and the Head of Voter Education in INEC in Akwa Ibom, Immaculata Asuquo–N214,127,000.
Sources said last night that the ex-Ministers, who were taken into custody on Wednesday, have been battling for bail.
“We will grant them bail as appropriate after we may have concluded our investigation. Their counsel were mounting pressure on us for bail as at Friday but I cannot tell you the exact status now,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the camp of ex-ministers in the administration of former President Jonathan was split yesterday following revelations on how huge cash was disbursed to some of their colleagues for the 2015 poll.
A reliable source in the camp said: “I am just ashamed to read about this scandal because I never knew such a scandal was being perpetrated. It is mind-boggling.
“Some of these ministers implicated in the bribery scandal were pretentiously running to their colleagues to beg for money during and after the general election. They thought they had covered their track.”
Another ex-Minister said: “I am shocked beyond words. I was in the cabinet but more of a passenger. Even the ex-President was not fair to some of us.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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How do we want this country to be good when a microscopic few persons had embezzled its fortune and future. They should all be killed the way Samuel Doe of Liberia was killed mercilessly.
ReplyDelete#GodWillFight4Us#
Nigerians are famous for Scamming, the higher up you get, the more you can Scam. ha ha.
ReplyDeleteWhat actually went wrong with the last administration? Is it that Goodluck Jonathan was bewitched or what? Are these information real? Is Goodluck Jonathan being framed up? All these Billions mentioned, did they actually get to these beneficiaries? Does Nigeria have all these kind of money mentioned as stolen? Is this government actually fair in the fight against corruption? Please can somebody tell me that this is not Hollywood..............Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzeeeeeezzzzz.
ReplyDeleteSo Deziani Madueke represents corruption and the like that's why anytime corruption is mentioned her picture will be used .
ReplyDeleteWe just dey watch
The simple truth is that none of the suspected looters has come out to deny the allegation. It is mind boggling and as I have always submitted on this platform, it was God Himself that removed the shackle of perpetual slavery these merciless brothers and Sisters intended to tie around our necks. All praises to Him, the most High.
ReplyDeletethe truth is that if EFCC can trace and recover dis amount of money from d past adminstration, I think they should also investigate the present administration on how they got there campaign money too. who knows we might end up tracing and recovering more money for dis nation and then it will no longer being seen as fighting or witch hunting the opposition. thanks.
ReplyDeleteNo wahalla., the next administration will probe this one. Lets be concerned about whether these guys perpetrated these crimes or not.its not all kidnappers or armed robbers that get caught, does it mean the police are selective?? Or that they should arresting others if they cant get every crook. God guide our judgments
DeleteThank u very much jare.Let it be witchhunt,even if na assasination,let them carry go.when the next administration gets there,let them probe buhari too.It is only the masses that can benefit from this accountability.Anyone that doesn't like this must be an enemy of progress.I pray for the most violent calamity to befall them and their family for supporting this raping of our natural resources.One need to go under the bridges and see the amount of destitute who lives there with. No viable means to put a roof over their head or survive.Diezani ran away to the UK immediately the gej administration lost the election,do u think she would've left if gej had won? Now a lot of this thieves are claiming some form of illness in one way or the other just to garner sympathy etc.I pray to my lord to see the tears and cries of those without a voice,those who can barely afford a meal a day,those who die inside their houses everyday from one form of illness everyday because they couldn't afford to go to an hospital or travel out,those who had to send their underage children to go work as maids just because they couldn't afford to send them to school etc,may their cries be heard and may a violent calamity befall all this evil people.I might sound harsh,but I don't see this evil ppl returning the money unless d efcc gets on their tail,the begining of repentance is the commencement of telling the truth,they are not telling the truth or returning the money willingly and thus,i will forever rain curses on them
DeleteEFCC, there are so many holes in this report. I support the anti corruption drive but not in the manner it is being carried out. Until Amachi, Rochas, Tambuwal, Atiku, El Rufai are arrested, the EFCC have not started. Secondly, what has happened to other previous corruption cases. News Paper investigation will not help.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the National Assembly rerun election in Rivers state where an APC candidate was demanding for his bribe money from an INEC official? It was all over the news both television and the internet. What has d EFCC done concerning that? None has been arrested. Is it that an APC member is free to bribe or what?
ReplyDeleteShoot them all. Death to all looters. I now see why they kept on hammering on devaluation. They have loads of dollars to play around.
ReplyDeleteFor attempting to investigate oil moguls that donated funds towards PDP campaigns, those who donated funds for apc campaigns should also be investigated. Am not trying to support corruption here but me think that he who wants to come to equity must come with a clean hand. Anyone found culpable shall be made to face the law.
ReplyDeleteThis matter of scammer every where in Nigeria as turn to something else.
ReplyDeleteAll that filters are not gold its often being said! Chop alone, die alone.
ReplyDelete