As Sleeping EFCC Finally Wakes From Slumber

Buhari

The reputation of President Muhammadu Buhari as a no nonsense anti-corruption leader may have forced the hitherto dormant anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into frenzy of activities so much so that it is now getting convictions even from its cases against former governors that dated back to eight years ago when it started their prosecution.

It would be recalled that few weeks ago the EFCC won a conviction against the former governor of Enugu State, Dr Chimaraoke Nnamani, whose ill gotten assets was forfeited to the federal government on the order of the court.

Just last week, the former governor of Jigawa State, Malam Sule Lamido, and his two sons was docked in Kano court for money laundering and other corruption acts. The former governor was detained in prison for two months. This is even as the former governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim was whisked away from his house in Abuja for interrogation over alleged corruption committed while in office. He was later granted bail. Similarly the former governor of Adamawa State, Alhaji Murtala Nyako is also being held by the EFCC alongside his son for corruption and had been granted bail by the court which demanded a bond of N350million for their release.

Already tongues are wagging on why it took the EFCC this long to find its mojo, even as some have alleged lopsidedness in the number of those being prosecuted and geographical spread. There are those querying why most of those under the radar of the EFCC are former PDP governors while the All Progressives Congress (APC) former governor are presented as ‘clean’ since they are not among those the EFCC are presently prosecuting in the courts. Those on this line of reasoning may not have noticed that Murtala Nyako is an APC member, so also is former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva who is facing charges of corruption.

With the conviction of former Governor Nnamani, Nigerians who spoke to our correspondents across the country are wondering what become of the other former governors who left office since 2007 and are being prosecuted by the EFCC.

Recall that the former chairman of the EFCC, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, had alleged that most of the former governors of 2007 set are corrupt and that the reason why they had not been prosecuted under his leadership was the immunity they enjoy then, adding that he would have sent them to jail. But eight years after these governors left office without any immunity hindering their prosecutions, their cases appeared stalled with many of them now senators and are even Godfathers that facilitated the emergence of Buhari as president in the 2015 presidential election.

Specifically on 27 July 2007, former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzo Kalu was arraigned before an Abuja High Court on a 107-count charge of money laundering, official corruption and criminal diversion of public funds in the excess of N5billion. The agency accused Kalu of transferring billions of naira belonging to the Abia State government to Slok Airlines, laundered funds over a period of time from the defunct Manny bank (now part of Fidellity bank) to Sloks account in Inland Bank and in between 1999 and 2007 Kalu moved various sums of government money into Slok Investment, Slok Nigeria Limited, Slok Incorporated and other companies by him.

However after Kalu pleaded not guilty to the charges and his counsel asked the court for bail, the court presided over by Justice Binta Murtala Nyako ordered Kalu’s detention at Kuje prison in Abuja. He was eventually granted bail.

During his trail, the EFCC obtained court order to freeze Kalu’s key assets which would be handed over to Abia State government if he was unable to prove that the funds used to establish his companies were not proceeds of graft but eight years after, in 2015, with the charges still hanging on his neck Kalu contested for the senate to represent Abia North senatorial district of Abia State.

In the case of former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, he was arraigned by the EFCC who pressed charges of stealing some $128 million from Plateau State during his tenure as governor from 1999-2007.

The former governor was facing a 14-count charge of laundering over N750 million. Most of the diversions were allegedly made from the state’s share of the Ecological Fund. The EFCC alleged that Dariye bought extensive real estates at prime locations in Jos and Abuja, which he failed to declare in his Assets Declaration forms in 1999 and 2003. They include Yelwa Club, Bukuru Jos; residential building near Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Staff Quarters, Maitama Abuja; residential building at Ebenezer Close, Asokoro, Abuja; underdeveloped expanse of land at Aminu Kano Crescent, Opposite BPE office, Abuja.

For the former governor of Jigawa State, Saminu Turaki, who later metamorphosed to Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he faced a 32-count charge for laundering over N36 billion while in office. Three companies allegedly used by him for siphoning the funds of the state were charged along with him. The companies include: INC Natural Resources Ltd; Arkel Construction Ltd and World Cat Construction Ltd. It was reported that Turaki allegedly used some of the withdrawn monies he siphoned from the state treasury to fund the tenure elongation bid of the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo. However, the EFCC was quick to dispel the information insisting that the ex-governor did not make such claims in his statement of defence.

In the case of “ the man of God” , Reverend Jolly Nyame, the former governor of Taraba state, he was charged on a 41-count charge for the embezzlement of funds totaling N1.637 billion that could have been used to develop the impoverished rural state.

For Boni Haruna, the former governor of Adamawa state, he alleged colluded with local government chairmen in his state to divert statutory allocations. However, in his own case, the amount he was charged of stealing paled in comparison to his other colleague ex-governors.

Ex-Governor Sani Yerima of Zamfara State, who was best remembered for the introduction of the Sharia legal system during his reign as the Lord of the Manor in his rural state,  was alleged to have siphoned several billions of naira of the state resources. The EFCC said of Sani Yerima: “The Zamfara case is a tragedy. I mean direct stealing from the safe. Direct stealing, no third party; outright stealing by the governor himself.” In 2006, some top officials of the state government were dragged to the Federal High Court, Abuja over allegations of misapplication of funds, totaling over N700 million. Those officials arrested and later released by the EFCC include the Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Bello Makau Ruwan Doruwa; the Works and Transport Commissioner, Mukhtari Muhammad Anak; the Head of Service, Alhaji Bello Karakai; the Accountant-General of the state, Alhaji Kasimu Muhammad Anka and the chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the state, Alhaji Abudulaziz Yari.

On his own part, the ex-governor of Kogi State between 1999 and 2003, Prince Abubakar Audu, under the platform of ANPP, allegedly embezzled N3.8 billion by lodging into one account all monies accruing to the state in First Bank Plc account. According to EFCC, the ex-governor used one Ibn Mustapha, who was the DG, Rural Development and Rural Electrification to divert these funds. The ex-governor allegedly raised various First Bank cheques in favour of Bulkon Company Ltd, to construct a personal building for him in Abuja and also raised drafts for Contract Ventures Ltd a company allegedly owned by him. Documents evidencing series of drafts raised as well as the investigation report by the EFCC were made available to the Administrative Panel of Inquiry on Reports of alleged Corrupt Practices by some public officers and other persons, which was constituted by the Obasanjo administration on February 6, 2007.

Chimaroke Nnamani, ex-governor of Enugu state who was recently convicted  faced a 34-count charge, that include the illegal transfer of about N5.6 billion to private bank accounts in United States of America, to which the former governor and one Chinero Nwigwe are signatories.

He was accused of illegal deduction of funds from local government accounts and statutory fund. He was charged alongside one Sunday Onyekaozuru Anyaogu, Sylvia Onwubuemeli, and some other firms for the alleged offences. The firms are Rainbownet Nigeria ltd, Hillgate Nigeria Ltd and Capital City Automobile Nigeria Ltd. Similarly on trial are a radio station, Cosmos FM, the Renaissance University Teaching Hospital and Mea mater Elizabeth High School.

Former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, was arraigned in court on March 3, 2010 alongside 18 others on a 149-count charge of fraud involving over N15billion.

The former governor of Gombe state, Senator Danjuma Goje and four others were first arraigned in court on October 17, 2011 on conspiracy, fraud and money laundering charges. He allegedly embezzled N52billion public fund.

Senator Bukola Saraki, who is the current senate president, has been under investigations by the Special Fraud Unit of the police following allegations of an N11billion loans scam preferred against him.

The said loans were allegedly secured by Saraki between 2004 and 2009 when he was the governor of Kwara State.

The SFU said the loans were used to purchase shares of blue chip companies and choice property in Lagos and Abuja, some of which were used to secure the loans.

In addition, Saraki has allegedly been receiving N100million monthly as an illegal pension from the current government of Kwara State.

Adamu Aliero, was the governor of Kebbi State between May 1999 and May 2007. Between December 2006 and August 2008, the EFCC and the ICPC received three petitions asking the anti-graft agencies to investigate Aliero over N10.2billion fraud. It was, however, learnt that the allegations were not investigated.

There was also allegations of money laundering against immediate past former governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji. The ICPC detained the accountant general of the state, Mrs Bridget Onyema for two days and later granted bail. The arrest was in connection with a series of petitions sent to the commission to investigate the whereabouts of  about N1.9632billion allegedly transferred under guise of travel estacodes to the governor, his deputy, their wives and families as well as 23 other persons who swelled the governor’s entourage to World Igbo Congress held in Tampa Bay, Florida, the United States in 2008.

Other former governors who are either being investigated or prosecuted on allegations of corruption include former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; former governor of Oyo State, Chief Alao Akala; former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; former governor of Kano State, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso; former governor of Ebonyi State, Dr Sam Egwu; former governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Elechi Amadi, among others.