Crime
BREAKING: EFCC Presents More Witness Against Fayose In Alleged N6.9bn Fraud Trial
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Friday, July 19, 2024, presented its 14th prosecution witness, PW14, Sahibu Salisu, a former Director of Administration and Finance, Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), in the trial of alleged N6.9bn fraud involving a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose.
Biztellers reports that Fayose and his company, Spotless Investment Limited, were standing trial before Justice Chukujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC had, on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, re-arraigned Fayose and Spotless Investment Limited on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering and stealing to the tune of N6.9bn ( Six Billion Nine Hundred Naira).
The defendants had first been arraigned on October 22, 2018 before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun.
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At the resumed sitting on Friday, Salisu told the court how he paid the sum of N200m and another N2 billion to a firm, Sylvan MacNamara, for security purposes on the instruction of a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, the PW14, who disclosed that he served as the Director of Administration and Finance between 2011 and 2015, explained the process of payment, thus, “Once the NSA gave approval for payment, we processed it accordingly. The payments we made were mainly for operational activities.”
On the roles of the NSA Office, he said, “The roles of the NSA Office are purely about the security of the entire country. And any money expended on security was expected to be retired.”
When shown a document tagged Exhibit S, which was the payment voucher raised for the fund, he admitted, “It is the payment mandate raised by me as the Director of Administration and Finance on the NSA’s instruction. The first figure was N200 million in favour of Sylvan McNamara and it was paid to the company’s Diamond Bank account. It was the NSA who gave me the account details.”
He said though the NSA did not tell him the purpose for which it was meant, the memo raised and the mandate payment showed it was for physical security infrastructure.
“All the payments made from the Office of NSA were supposed to be for security activities and security structures,” he said.
On who signed the payment mandate, he said, “I will sign my own part as signatory B. Thereafter, I would take it to the NSA for final signature, which was approval. Then, I would take the mandate to the Central Bank of Nigeria for payment.”
Giving further testimony on the exhibit S, he said the former NSA and him appended their signatures on it.
According to him, the payment was made and there should be retirement, after the purpose for which money was paid for had been completed.
He, however, stated that “Up till I left the office, I could not say whether or not the money was retired.”
When asked about the exhibit S1, which was payment to Sylvan McNamara to the tune of N2 billion dated June 13, 2014, he said: “We paid the amount of N2 billion to Sylvan McNamara on the instruction of the NSA. I was not a signatory to this account, so I am not in a position to know whether it was retired after payment. The NSA and former Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ibrahim Mahe, would be able to know whether it was retired or not”.
Salisu, under cross-examination by the counsel to the first defendant, Ola Olanipekun, SAN, testified that all payments made by the NSA office were made through the bank and they had to raise the mandate before it was done.
When asked if the former NSA told him that the N200m and N2bn were for security purposes, he said: “No. The NSA never informed me that the money was for security purposes and the NSA never complained about this payment.”
One Agudosi Christopher Okechukwu has been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, for allegedly failing to declare foreign currency at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.
The EFCC, in a statement released on Wednesday by its Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, confirmed that Okechukwu was brought before the court on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, facing a two-count charge linked to money laundering.
“The Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, arraigned one Agudosi Christopher Okechukwu for alleged non-declaration of the sums of £8,020 (Eight Thousand and Twenty Pounds Sterling) and $704 (Seven Hundred and Four United States Dollars) before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos,” the statement read.
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Investigations revealed that Okechukwu was apprehended by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) officers at the airport in December 2024, after he allegedly failed to declare the foreign currency in his possession.
The EFCC said the defendant was later handed over for further interrogation.
“The defendant was arrested in December 2024 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, for non-declaration to the tune of £8,020 and $704 and was subsequently handed over to the EFCC for further investigations,” the commission added.
One of the charges read during the court session stated:
“That you, Agudosi Christopher Okechukwu, on the 10th day of December, 2024 in Lagos, within the Jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, failed to make a declaration of the sum of £8,020 (Eight Thousand and Twenty Pounds Sterling) to the Nigeria Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
Okechukwu pleaded guilty to the charges. Following his plea, EFCC’s counsel, C.C. Okezie, called on operative Abubakar Magaji to present the facts of the case before the court.
While testifying, Magaji narrated how the defendant was initially arrested with £8,020 and $704 and later handed over to the anti-graft agency for further action.
“The NCS handed over the defendant to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, Okotie Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos for further investigation after he was arrested with the sum of £8,020 and $704,” Magaji told the court.
Magaji also informed the court that during questioning, Okechukwu admitted under caution that he had declared only £7,000 and omitted the £8,020 and $704.
“He further told the court that his statement was recorded under caution. He stated that he was arrested at the MMIA Airport with a total sum of £15,020 and $704.
“He also stated that he declared £7,000 and forgot to declare the sums of £8,020 and $704 on him.
“He said he did not make the declaration because he claimed to have suffered a loss and was going to bring back the corpse of his brother. He submitted the death certificate of his brother, his brother’s pictures and other documents,” Magaji added.
During the proceedings, Magaji identified the defendant’s statement, the handing-over note from the NCS, the arresting officer’s statement, and the recovered currencies. All items were tendered as evidence and admitted by the court.
“Thereafter, Magaji identified the defendant’s statement, the handing-over note from the NCS, the arresting officer’s statement as well as the sum of £8,020 and $704 to the EFCC,” the statement further read.
Justice Bogoro accepted the prosecution’s exhibits, which were marked P1 to P11.
“The prosecution counsel then sought to tender, in evidence, all the documents. Justice Bogoro admitted and marked them as exhibits P1-P11.”
The judge adjourned the matter till May 2, 2025, for judgment and ordered that the defendant be remanded at a Correctional Centre until then.
Two men have been arrested by the police in Aba, Abia State, for allegedly vandalizing iron materials at the long-abandoned Aba Textile Mills, situated in the Eziama Industrial Estate.
The suspects, identified as Mr. Ndubuisi Okoronkwo and Mr. Innocent Mbam, were reportedly caught red-handed while cutting and dismantling iron rods from the roofing framework of the facility’s old structures.
Their arrest came after local security operatives, acting on suspicion, tipped off government authorities and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), leading to swift action by the police.
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During interrogation, both men allegedly confessed that they had been hired by one of the managers overseeing the textile mill, who authorized them to carry out the removal of the materials.
Meanwhile, business owners around the area claimed the illegal removal of materials from the premises has been ongoing unnoticed for quite some time.
“We’ve had our suspicions. The textile mill has been shut since 2000, yet trucks keep going in and out of the premises,” a concerned business owner said.
“Only the managers and their security personnel have access to the facility. So we alerted local security, and that’s how the arrests were made.”
When reached for comment, the Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka, acknowledged the inquiry but had yet to issue an official response at the time of filing this report.
Three suspects have been arrested by the Oyo State Police Command in connection with the hijacking of a truck loaded with 45,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) along the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road.
The confirmation was made on Sunday through a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, in Ibadan.
He revealed that the stolen consignment belonged to NIPCO Petroleum Nigeria Limited.
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Osifeso explained that the police became aware of the incident in the early hours of April 5, 2025, following credible intelligence.
“On April 5, 2025, at approximately 1:00 am, the command’s Monitoring Unit received actionable intelligence regarding a hijacking incident involving a DAF truck with registration number Adamawa YLA 575 ZY on the Ijebu-Ode-Ibadan road,” he stated.
He further revealed that initial findings pointed to the involvement of an armed gang, describing them as “an armed group equipped with sophisticated firearms.”
In response, operatives from the Monitoring Unit were swiftly deployed to track the perpetrators.
Their investigation led them to a filling station at Odo-Ona Kekere, Ibadan, where the hijacked vehicle was located.
“Their efforts led to the discovery of the hijacked truck at the Lincoln Filling Station, Odo-Ona Kekere, Ibadan, where the suspects were in the process of syphoning the PMS,” Osifeso said.
Two suspects — Oyekunle Olaoluwa, 35, and another identified as Akanji Ladele, 51 (real name undisclosed) — were arrested at the filling station.
During questioning, the suspects named one “Femi” as the individual who handed the truck over to them, and who is believed to have coordinated the hijack.
“This revelation led to the identification and subsequent arrest of Basiru Azeez, 30, a pivotal figure in the operation who has since confessed to his role in orchestrating the hijacking and provided details on how the truck was diverted after the crime,” the statement added.
The police have assured residents that efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend more members of the criminal network behind the incident.
Meanwhile, Osifeso called on members of the public to assist security efforts by promptly reporting any suspicious activity.
“The PPRO, therefore, charged members of the public to stay vigilant and report suspicious activities to the local police, emphasising that active participation is vital to the command’s collective effort in fighting against crime,” the statement concluded.
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