The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday combed the apartments of former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi and ex-Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, as digs deeper to unravel the real owner of the massive $43.4m, £27,000 and N23m (N13bn) found in a flat in Osborne Towers, Ikoyi last week Wednesday.
The National Intelligence Agency, NIA, had claimed that it owns the money and warehoused the funds at the apartment, which is under the control of the wife of its DG, as a “transit” arrangement,. They Agency had said it planned to move it to a more permanent location. However, their claim seem to have been rejected by the EFCC, as the anti-graft commission continues to investigate who hid the funds, suspected to be taxpayers’ money in the flat.
According to EFCC sources all the flats in the building were thoroughly searched, including the unoccupied ones.
Other prominent persons, living at the Towers are former Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (Retail), Mrs. Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, and media enterpreneur and founder of Ebony Life Television, Ms. Mo Abudu.
The media aide to ex-Governor Obi, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that all the apartments in the building were searched by the commission.
Obienyem warned mischief makers against seeking fault in Obi, adding that the entire tenants in the building were also searched. And that the ex-governor’s home is in Onitsha, Anambra State, adding that the luxury apartment was only rented by his boss.
He said the former governor was not at home when the EFCC carried out the search, he sent the key to the flat to the EFCC and that nothing incriminating was found in the apartment.
The statement read in part, “The media aide to former Governor Mr. Peter Obi has confirmed the search by the EFCC of Flat 1, occupied by the former governor in the building where the agency discovered large sums of money.
“The apartment was rented by the wife of the former governor and it is where Mr. Obi usually stays anytime he is in Lagos.
“Even though Mr. and Mrs Obi had travelled to the USA and the UK for speaking engagements, when we relayed the message of the search to him, he quickly sent the keys to the four-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 a need for that. After the thorough search, nothing was found in the apartment.”
Meanwhile, according to the apartment ownership list obtained by SaharaReporters, the owners of the luxury flats include a former Guaranty Trust Bank chairman, Fola Adeola, who owns Apartment 1A, and former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi and his wife, who own Apartment 1B.
2A – Ahmed Kida
2B – Ahmed Kida but apartment occupied by Esther Ogbue (a recently retired MD of NNPC)
3A – Kayode Sonaike
3B – Sterling Assets
4A and 4B – Leo Stan Ekeh
5A – Sterling Bank
5B – Damian Dodo, SAN
6A – Mo Abudu
6B – Career Terminal and Logistics Ltd.
7A – Mr. and Mrs. Edo-Osagie (Daughter of PDP Chieftain Anthony Anenih and her husband)
7B – Chobe Ventures Limited (Controlled by Folashade Oke, wife of DG, NIA) apartment where $50m was found by EFCC)
8A – Chikki Foods
8B – Mr. Balogun
9A – Damian Dodo, SAN
9B – Alhaji Tukur
10 A & B – Ahmed Muazu
11 A & B – Ahmed Muazu.
cpcnews.org 