06:59
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) may be preparing to summon for questioning
Chief Bode George, a chieftain of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Odili, the former
Rivers state governor, over reports that they were
implicated in the $2billion arms deal scandal for which
former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki is being
probe d.
According to The Nation, Major General Sarkin-Yaki
Bello, a former general officer commanding of 82
Division, may also be invited for questioning as the trio
are reportedly being watched by the anti-graft agency.
Although none of them has been arrested, Chief George
was said to have denied knowing Dasuki, while Odili and
Bello were not reachable for comment.
Dasuki, whom EFCC sources had credited with making
extraordinary confessions, had through his lawyer on
Thursday, December 3, 2015, denied ever implicating
anyone in the phoney deals, the while former Sokoto
state governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, also said he never
collected any money for the supposed ‘spiritual
purpose’.
But following Dasuki’s confessions, three bank
accounts belonging to the former office of the national
security adviser (ONSA)’s finance director, Shaibu
Salisu, have been frozen as part of the ongoing probe of
the $2 billion arms contracts.
The Nation also reports that the agency has invoked the
interim assets forfeiture clause in its Establishment Act
to seize three duplexes worth N810million in Lake View
Estate in Abuja, which were also allegedly traced to
Salisu.
EFCC has since secured a court order to remand some
suspects in custody, including Dasuki. Others are
Bafarawa, the former minister Bashir Yuguda, Raymond
Dokpesi and 18 unnamed people.
Salisu was said to have allegedly diverted government
funds and made illegal payments to his companies from
the office of the national security adviser’s accounts,
and some documents discovered by The Nation
indicated that four slush companies, Fanskan Exquisite
Travel Tours, Starr Concrete Blocks PPTYS, Fanskan
Exquisite Limited and Musim Ventures, were traced to
Salisu.
Speaking on these new revelations, a senior source at
the EFCC said: “We have frozen three key accounts of a
former director of Finance of ONSA. By the time the figures
are collated, we will tell you the actual amount. But out of
N600million deposited in one of the accounts on October 2,
2014, about N100million was given to one Alhaji Bashir.
“All the three banks involved have been asked to put PNB
on the accounts.
“As I am talking to you, we have invoked the Interim Assets
Forfeiture Clause to seize three duplexes(at N270million
each) at Lake View Estate, Jabi which were traced to
Salisu.”
And following the mention of George, Odili and Bello as
some of the beneficiaries of the arms cash bazaar by
some suspects, the EFCC source added that “we are
putting them under watch until there is sufficient ground to
either invite or arrest them.
“Certainly, there are some allegations but none of them has
been fully implicated or arrested. And we have not invited
any of them for questioning.”
On when some high-profile suspects will be granted bail,
the source said: “Well, we have secured a court order to
remand in custody some suspects, including Dasuki,
Bafarawa, Yuguda, Dokpesi and 18 others.
“We don’t want to release them in a manner that will
jeopardise the ongoing investigation. Some of them have
mentioned a few individuals and corporate organisations
and we need to conduct due diligence.
“For instance, Dokpesi admitted collecting N2.1billion for
publicity. We have asked him to produce evidence of award
of the contract, the terms of the contract, the schedule of
execution and how the contract was related to arms
purchase.
“The media owner also gave some evidence and we have to
get in touch with those concerned and organisations to
verify his claims.
“For a while, the suspects will be with us and we will treat
them well, in line with international best practices.”
The EFCC has also reportedly written to some media
owners to clarify what Dokpesi meant by being
’embedded in various organizations’.
“In making up his defence, Dokpesi told interrogators that
he was embedded in some media organisations.
“We don’t know what he meant and we have written the
affected media to explain if they were given any share of
the N2.1billion for publicity,” he added.
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