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Pilot recounts how Obanikoro flew Fayose’s N1.3bn to Akure

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The EFCC continued investigations into the alleged N1.3bn ferried to Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA through former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro for the governor’s election in June 2014.

The commission has reportedly interrogated the pilot that allegedly flew the chattered aircraft that moved the money from Lagos to Akure.

The pilot, Captain Ahmed Borodo, who was said to have been interrogated last week, was said to have told his interrogators that he flew Obanikoro on June 17, 2014 from Lagos to Akure on an HS-125 aircraft.

According to an EFCC source, the pilot told investigators that about eight big green tarpaulin or military bags were loaded onto the plane, and that he complained about the weight of the luggage to the former minister because of the size of the plane.

The source said: “The pilot told us that on June 17, 2014, he was instructed by his company around 7am to prepare the aircraft for an 8.30am flight from Lagos to Akure. He was informed that the client was Obanikoro. He said he along with his colleagues including one Capt. Olubiyi Famuyiwa got on the plane.

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“He said Obanikoro’s aides arrived at the tarmac with some bullion vans and started offloading the contents which were in big green tarpaulin bags. He informed them that the aircraft could only carry about eight or nine bags due to its small size.

“The pilot said at that point, Obanikoro intervened and began pleading with him to allow them load all the bags on the plane but he refused and then the minister, his ADC and a friend boarded the plane and the aircraft departed.”

Continuing, the source said the Pilot stated that when he got to Akure, some soldiers received them and the content of the aircraft was loaded into a bullion while he returned to Lagos with an aircraft empty.

“He said that the next day, he returned to Akure and then flew Obanikoro to Abuja with his Aide-de-Camp, Lt. Adewale”, the source said.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews

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