Diezani’s $115m Largesse: EFCC Quizzes Ex-ministers Aminu Wali, Nurudeen Muhammad
— May 6, 2016 3:40 am | Leave a comment
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have quizzed a former minister of foreign affairs, Ambassador Aminu Bashir Wali, and a former minister of state for foreign affairs, Dr Nurudeen Muhammad, following their alleged involvement in the disbursement of $115million (about N23billion) by the former minister of petroleum resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke during the 2015 general elections.
Diezani was said to have disbursed the said $115million through Fidelity Bank Plc. The bank’s managing director/ CEO, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, and other suspects are being detained by the EFCC over the matter.
The two ex-ministers were still being quizzed by EFCC operatives at press time and were yet to be granted administrative bail.
LEADERSHIP FRIDAY also gathered that investigations into the said $115m laundered by Diezani had so far unravelled how a total of N5, 097,064,000 (N5.1bn) was disbursed and received by representatives from seven states in the North West zone of the country.
A reliable source at the EFCC also confided in LEADERSHIP that “a total of N1,356,620,000 was received by two beneficiaries from Kano State, in which N950 million was received by Ambassador Aminu Wali while the balance of N406,206,000 (N406m) was received on behalf of the late Kano State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Mukaila Abdullahi, by one Sani Isa who is a retiree of INEC, Kano State.
The source added that the ex-ministers and other suspects collected these monies from Fidelity Bank after due certification of various means of identification as requested by the bank.
The source further said, “I can authoritatively tell you that one of the representatives from Jigawa State, who was the former minister of state, Foreign Affairs, Dr Nurudeen Muhammad, received N500million out of N750million disbursed to Jigawa State.
LEADERSHIP FRIDAY also learnt that the representatives from Kano and Jigawa states, including former officials of INEC, had been taken into EFCC custody and investigations are still ongoing to ascertain who collected the balance of N250million.
Other states in the North West zone were said to have benefited through their representatives from the N1billion largesse.
… Agency arrests Cross River PDP Chairman over receipt of N500m
Meanwhile, the EFCC has arrested the Cross Rivers State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Ntufam John Okon, over his alleged receipt about N500million from Diezani largesse.
Okon was arrested yesterday in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, for allegedly collecting the said N500million as his share of the booty. He was said to have collected the money on March 26, 2015 at a branch of Fidelity Bank in Calabar.
The money was said to have been placed in the transit account at the corporate headquarters of the bank, but cash was allegedly made available to Okon at the Calabar branch of the bank.
Okon is still in EFCC’s custody and would be charged to court soon.
Diezani was said to have disbursed the said $115million through Fidelity Bank Plc. The bank’s managing director/ CEO, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, and other suspects are being detained by the EFCC over the matter.
The two ex-ministers were still being quizzed by EFCC operatives at press time and were yet to be granted administrative bail.
LEADERSHIP FRIDAY also gathered that investigations into the said $115m laundered by Diezani had so far unravelled how a total of N5, 097,064,000 (N5.1bn) was disbursed and received by representatives from seven states in the North West zone of the country.
A reliable source at the EFCC also confided in LEADERSHIP that “a total of N1,356,620,000 was received by two beneficiaries from Kano State, in which N950 million was received by Ambassador Aminu Wali while the balance of N406,206,000 (N406m) was received on behalf of the late Kano State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Mukaila Abdullahi, by one Sani Isa who is a retiree of INEC, Kano State.
The source added that the ex-ministers and other suspects collected these monies from Fidelity Bank after due certification of various means of identification as requested by the bank.
The source further said, “I can authoritatively tell you that one of the representatives from Jigawa State, who was the former minister of state, Foreign Affairs, Dr Nurudeen Muhammad, received N500million out of N750million disbursed to Jigawa State.
LEADERSHIP FRIDAY also learnt that the representatives from Kano and Jigawa states, including former officials of INEC, had been taken into EFCC custody and investigations are still ongoing to ascertain who collected the balance of N250million.
Other states in the North West zone were said to have benefited through their representatives from the N1billion largesse.
… Agency arrests Cross River PDP Chairman over receipt of N500m
Meanwhile, the EFCC has arrested the Cross Rivers State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Ntufam John Okon, over his alleged receipt about N500million from Diezani largesse.
Okon was arrested yesterday in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, for allegedly collecting the said N500million as his share of the booty. He was said to have collected the money on March 26, 2015 at a branch of Fidelity Bank in Calabar.
The money was said to have been placed in the transit account at the corporate headquarters of the bank, but cash was allegedly made available to Okon at the Calabar branch of the bank.
Okon is still in EFCC’s custody and would be charged to court soon.
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