The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has told the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.); a former Chief of Accounts and Budgeting in Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Jacob Adigun; and a former Director of Finance and Budget, Air Commodore Olugbenga Gbadebo, to forfeit the 33 properties they allegedly bought with stolen funds.
This, it was learnt, was part of the conditions for the plea bargain given to the three accused persons.
A security agent, who did not want his name in print, revealed that apart from forfeiting the properties, Amosu, Adigun and Gbadebo would be asked to plead guilty, after which the EFCC would appeal to the court to temper justice with mercy.
The accused persons alongside eight companies are being accused of stealing N22.8bn from the coffers of the NAF between 2014 and 2015.
A source said, “We will not want to rock the boat because negotiations are still ongoing. However, since Amosu, Adigun and Gbadebo have opted for plea bargain, we expect them to permanently forfeit all the properties linked to them.
“Afterwards, they will enter a guilty plea and receive a reduced sentence. This was what we did for the Managing Director of the defunct Oceanic Bank, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, who was jailed after she pleaded guilty and forfeited 103 choice houses and shares in 77 companies in Nigeria in 2010.
“It is the standard practice worldwide and it will save everybody’s time.”
Documents showed that Amosun, Adigun and Gbadebo had returned over N2.8bn to the Federal Government, while properties such as plazas, schools, mansions, farms, a hospital and a quarry had been seized from them.
While almost N2.6bn cash has been recovered from Amosu, Gbadebo has returned N190m. Adigun’s wife, returned some money as well.
The document further stated that properties recovered from Adigun were worth N9.6bn.
Some of the properties include a shopping plaza known as Capadar Plaza on Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja, which is worth N980m; a residential mansion on Lake Chad Street, Maitama, worth N450m; an executive mansion in Imo River Close off Dandube Crescent, Maitama, worth N710m, and a four-unit terrace on Agadez Street off Aminu Kano crescent, Wuse 2, worth N720m.
Some other properties said to belong to Adigun included a 35-room uncompleted hotel on Salt Lake Street, Maitama, Abuja; a parcel of land located on Bourdillon Street, Ikoyi, Lagos; a block of 12 service flats located on Agodogba Street, Park View Estate, Ikoyi, said to be worth N1.8bn and a quarry in Bwari area of Abuja worth about $694,000.
The source added that all the properties had been seized temporarily.
He added that some of the properties seized from Amosu were worth N1.5bn. They included a house on Adeyemo Alakija Street, GRA Ikeja, worth N250m; a duplex at House 11, Peace Court Estate, GRA Ikeja, worth N110m; a N40m property located at NAF Harmony Estate, Asokoro Base, and a five-bedroomed house at Valley NAF Estate, Port Harcourt, worth N33m.
Others include a hospital on Adeniyi Jones Avenue known as St Solomon Hospital, with equipment worth $2.15m; and a N95m house on Umaru Dikko Street, Jabi.
The properties seized from Gbadebo are said to be worth N495m. They include a fish farm worth N10m; a N20m poultry Lagos and a school known as Bloomsville International School, Divine Estate, Isheri Olofin , off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Apart from Nigeria, Adigun and Amosu also own two homes in posh areas of London in the United Kingdom.
A detached house worth £875,000 (N333, 375, 000) at 93b Shirehall Park, London, NW42QU allegedly belonging to Adigun and another house at 50 Tenterden Grove, NW41TH allegedly belonging to Amosu and worth £1m (N381m) are also expected to be forfeited to the Federal Government.
However, investigations showed that the value of the houses had increased.
A visit to Zoopla.co.uk, which real estate agents use in valuing properties in the UK, showed that both properties were bought in August 2014.
According to the website, the property, which Adigun allegedly bought in August 2014 at the cost of £875,000 currently goes for £1,046,000, (N398,526,000).
It added that Amosu’s property, which it said was purchased in November 2014 at £1,850,000, (and not £1m as claimed by the EFCC), was now worth £2,175,000 (N828, 675, 000).
According to the property website, Amosu’s property has six bedrooms, six bathrooms and two sitting rooms.
Calculations showed that the cash and assets which the air force men might forfeit permanently added up to about N15bn which was more than three quarters of what they allegedly stole.
Speaking with newsmen recently, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, said once a criminal matter had been brought to court and the accused person brought up a negotiation, there must be some form of punishment.
According to him, plea bargain is done all over the world, adding that it saves time and money.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria explained that plea bargain in Nigerian law is for the purpose of saving the state the time and resources from prosecuting a case over a long period of time and still end up not achieving a conviction.
He added, “The point I want to make is that once a case has been taken to court, there can be no negotiation of return of money without punishment. That is impossible and can never happen because if that happens, then it is breach of the law.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Yet some idiots would say it's witch hunting
ReplyDeleteDon't mind them.
DeleteJust imagine what N22.8b stolen by only 3 Nigerians could have used to address in the country.
Anyone who drops a comment here to discredit this APC led government or mention witch-hunt must have shared our national wealth with this thieves and nemesis will surely catch up with you.
It's so annoying that while thousands of families have been rendered homeless as a result of the insurgency in the Northeast, people entrusted with funds to procure arms to tackle the insurgency were busy diverting those funds in acquiring properties in choice areas all over the world. And you surely think the blood and spirits of those that were killed or rendered homeless will let you have peace of mind in those properties?
God bless this PMB administration.
KJoe
Get lost...we must discredit dis administration because they are clueless,and have nothing to offer except noise...
DeleteIn just a time period of one year oo....they stole this much....I still don't understand why som ppl will call it witchhunting....the shear amount stolen should make any good Nigerian Angry
DeleteAre the wailers no longer available on this platform? Or are they quiet because they are not PDP members?
ReplyDeleteI know that PMB is God sent. This nation will rise again. Good job EFCC.
PMB is more like hell sent not God sent, let him probe Dambazzau and Buratai, then we believe he is truly fighting corruption. All these is still wash wash
Delete@anonymous 7:41,nobody is assumed innocent in this case as for the others you mentioned, the investigation can start with you writing a competent petition against the people whose name you have mentioned, then submit it at the numerous Zonal EFCC office around the country. I can accompany you to avoid you missing your direction. If not kindly keep quiet and allow the EFCC capture your comrade one after the other. Ole lason.
DeleteYou will never believe still even though he probes every Nigerian because you have already set your mind not to believe anything so long it is not your PDPigs in power. We still have enough doubting thomases alive in Nigeria and you are one of them.
DeleteThey should be jailed to 30/50 years and that's all.
ReplyDeleteAre Buratai's hands clean? Get real!
ReplyDeleteIf Buratai's hand is not clean, how does that exonerate Amosu and others mentioned here. Please get real.
DeleteIt beats me...really. Are you saying they didn't loot because Buratai's hands aren't clean. Are you so ignorant and naive? You are part of those pulling this country back.
DeletePeel your eyes so you can see clearly, St. Anonymous 9:47 AM. That is a military report. Buratai, for equity and probity sake, should be fingered. We cannot all be collectively dumb like you.
DeleteThis is for you Saint Anonymous 2:22 PM. Add it to the one above, in which you were erroneously omitted:
DeleteAn anti-graft coalition, the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, over alleged diversion of funds to purchase properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
We are still waiting for the report of the military panel...I know dambazzau was implicated,let's see how it goes....foolish people...
ReplyDeleteIgbo man. What else do we expect from Ipob errand boys since all they pray for is for the destruction of Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteWhat is important is that after ther recovery of the lootedf funds, there should be a process that will make such looting impossible .That's the only time that the country will have peace
ReplyDeleteI don't believe my eyes and it's beyond human imagination for a single or an individual to hold such properties across all over the countries. Let forgets about the issue of one or two political parties. No jobs,our health structure's were deterioration, not good road,electricity is nothing to write about, many people's were dying of hungry, turning may people into harlots,hooliganism,while a single or an individual in a small organisation can hold such money's. People's were lost there job on daily basis,may students were dropped out due to or lack of money to pay tuition fees,
ReplyDeleteGod are so kind for this people's to still existing,imagine what it's going on and how a young and brave Nigeria Soja were dying, people are losing husband, losing children, losing relatives. Meanwhile the money that were vote for security are being embezzled by a single people. The blood of this people's will not rest until justice are done.
ReplyDeleteI have discovered that many PDP wailers are blind idiots.
ReplyDeleteIf u have evidence to nail somebody, why ask d person to plead guilty?. Its either this is witch-hunting of which there are no evidence or the EFCC also partook in the loot. Let d court decide whether they are guilty or not. Just present ur evidence. No plea bargaining. Foolish government.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 1.14pm, The guilty one is cooperating with the EFCC and has refunded some money. Most of us are quick to compare situations in USA or United kingdom, this is a normal plea bargain to get the accused to provide additional info that can be tendered as evidence in on-going investigations. kudos to the EFCC and God Bless My country, NIGERIA.
ReplyDelete