The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed, Premium Times reports.
Sources confirmed to the online newspaper that he was in detention at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Monday night.
“Yes, we have him in our custody,” a source said. While another source said Mr. Mohammed’s detention was still being processed at about 8:45 p.m. on Monday. He is expected to spend at least Monday night at the commission’s office.
It was learnt that the EFCC was probing the ex-minister for alleged fictitious contracts worth N1bn and the allocation of 12 properties and 37 commercial plots of land to a suspected front of Mohammed and a controversial Abuja land swap deal put at N1tn.
It is understood that EFCC top directors interrogated Mohammed.
Those quizzed, the source said, included the Director of Treasury, Ibrahim Bomoi, his counterpart in charge of Land, Babayo Mainasara, and the Director in charge of Abuja Geographical Information Service, Ms Jamila Tangaza.
The anti-graft commission has also quizzed the son of the former minister, Samshudeen Bala, and one Tariq Hammoud, said to be a front for the minister, it was learnt.
Mr. Mohammed, a former senator from Bauchi State, served as the Minister of the FCT under President Goodluck Jonathan between 2010-15.
Also in EFCC custody as at Monday night were Musiliu Obanikoro, a former minister of state for defence; Femi Fani-Kayode, a spokesperson for Mr. Jonathan’s re-election campaign last year, and Reuben Abati, the former media adviser to president Jonathan.
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