EFCC accuses Fayose of receiving bribe from contractors

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has been accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of collecting bribe from contractors in the state.

According to the EFCC, part of the bribe money was used to purchase a property in the name of Fayose’s London-based sister, Mrs. Moji Ladeji, on Osun Crescent in the Maitama area of Abuja.

A plot of land on the street is said cost at least N250m.

The anti-graft agency stated this in the counter-affidavit filed by the EFCC in opposition to Fayose’s ex parte motion seeking a mandatory order of  a Federal High Court in Ekiti lifting the ban placed on his Zenith Bank accounts, by virtue of the immunity conferred on him by Section 308 of the 1999 constitution.

In the affidavit, the EFCC also gave details of how a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, and the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, allegedly stole N4.745bn from the imprest account of the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA,  and handed N1.219bn out of the money to Fayose through the governor’s proxy, Mr. Abiodun Agbele, in 2014

The commission, in the 10-paragraph counter-affidavit deposed to by Tosin Owobo, an investigating officer in the EFCC, asked the court not to defreeze Fayose’s account in the interest of justice.

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The affidavit read: “Apart from fraudulently retaining the sum of N1, 219,490,000 being part of the N4,745,000,000 stolen from the treasury of the Federal Government through the office of the National Security Adviser, the applicant (Fayose) has also received gratification in form of kickbacks from various contractors with the Ekiti State Government such as Samchese Nigeria Ltd., Tender Branch Concept Nig. Ltd., Hoff Concept Ltd. and Calibre Consulting Ltd.

“The applicant (Fayose) received these kickbacks and gratification through Still Earth Ltd. and Signachorr Nigeria Ltd. In turn the applicant (Fayose) instructed Still Earth Ltd. and Signachoor Nigeria Ltd. to use the funds to acquire properties for him.

“In complying with the applicant’s instruction, Still Earth Ltd. and Signachoor Nigeria Ltd. acquired properties on behalf of the applicant (Fayose) in the name of a company known as J.J. Technical Services Ltd. belonging to the applicant (Fayose) and his wife (Feyisetan).

“That the applicant (Fayose) also used the name of one Mrs. Moji Ladeji (the applicant’s sister) to acquire a property situated at 44, Osun Crescent, Maitama Abuja from the proceeds of the alleged offences of receiving gratification and kickbacks.”

Copies of the deeds of assignment for the said properties were attached and marked as Exhibit EFCC 08.

According to the affidavit, the commission said it approached the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, where it had established that the funds in Fayose’s account were proceeds of crime for an order directing the Manager of Zenith Bank to freeze the said accounts.

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