IKOYIGATE: EFCC searches flats belonging to ex-Gov Obi, ex-PDP chair Mu’azu, others

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday searched the apartment of a number of prominent Nigerians who own apartments at the Osborne Towers, Ikoyi.

The agency had last week found a humongous sum of foreign currencies and Naira notes to the tune of $43.4m, £27,800 and N23.2m in cash in an apartment at the said Osborne Towers.

According to sources, among those living in the building whose flats were searched are a former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, media mogul and founder of Ebony Life Television, Mo Abudu, as well as the former Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (Retail), who was only recently sacked, Mrs. Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue.

An aide to the former governor, Valentine Obienyem who confirmed the EFCC search disclosed that his boss owns flat 1 in the building, while the money was found in flat 7.

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He said, “I was actually on my way to the airport for speaking engagements of Mr. Peter Obi in the U.K. and the USA, when, because of the discovery of huge amount of money in the public building where he lives in Lagos, I had to abort my own trip to monitor events -answering the EFCC and related stuff.

“They searched the flats of everybody living in the building. My boss lives in flat 1 and the money was found in flat 7.”

He however stated that the Ex-Governor is resident in Onitsha, and that the apartment which was rented by Obi’s wife, is where he stays anytime he is in Lagos.

Obienyem who cautioned against mischief makers seeking fault in Obi, made it clear that the entire tenants in the building were also searched.

“Even though Mr. and Mrs Obi had travelled to the USA and the U.K. for speaking engagements, when we relayed the message of the search to him, he quickly sent the keys to the 4-bedroom apartment to the EFCC via courier. He even left instructions that we should allow them to also search his Onitsha residence should there be need for that. After the thorough searching, nothing was found in the apartment”, Obienyem said.

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