There were indications on Tuesday that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was making arrangements to arraign the former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, in November.
A top operative of the commission, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, stated that the commission would commence the prosecution of the former minister in the first week of November.
The source did not specify the exact charges that would be filed against the former minister, who was arrested penultimate Monday and has since been in EFCC custody.
The source added, “He would be arranged in court for the disbursement of some of the funds traced to the account of Silva McNamara.
“I can’t say the exact charges but definitely, his case has to do with how some of the N4.7bn, traced to the account of the company, was spent.”
Babajide and Gbolahan, two of Obanikoro’s sons, were said to be directors of Silva McNamara when N4.7bn was allegedly paid into the company’s accounts.
The money was said to be part of the amount earmarked to finance the June 21, 2014 Ekiti State governorship election, which Governor Ayodele Fayose won, and the November 19, 2014, governorship poll in Osun State, which Chief Iyiola Omisore of the Peoples Democratic Party contested and lost.
Investigations on Tuesday revealed that the commission would arraign the former minister in connection with the claim that N785m was spent out of the funds traced to McNamara to prosecute the campaign against Boko Haram in Lagos and the South-West.
Obanikoro had told his EFCC interrogators that N200m was spent on surveillance activities and another N200m and N385m on logistics and operations of the anti-Boko Haram campaign, which he claimed were supervised by one Taiwo Kareem, whom he identified as the owner of McNamara.
A top operative of the commission had told our correspondent on the telephone on Thursday that Obanikoro was still making efforts to raise some money to facilitate his release.
The commission, it was learnt, gave Obanikoro a condition to raise N100m to get a bail.
A source in the anti-graft agency added on Tuesday, “The man is still in detention. I know that he is still making moves to refund some money.”
Meanwhile, the EFCC has concluded arrangement to file new charges against the former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode.
A top operative of the commission said Fani-Kayode would be prosecuted for allegedly receiving N26m from the Office of the National Security Adviser on November 21, 2014.
“The commission will file fresh charges against Femi Fani-Kayode on November 10, 2016 in Abuja.
“The case against him is the issue of the receipt of N26m from the ONSA. The voucher for the payment of the funds did not specify the purpose for which the funds were paid,” a source told our correspondent on Tuesday.
The EFCC had said it was investigating the former Director of Publicity of the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s Presidential Campaign Organisation for allegedly receiving N26m through a police orderly.
An aide to the former minister said Fani-Kayode denied ever receiving such funds and did not admit it in his statement.
(Punch)
