Former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, will be back into the waiting arms of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) soon enough, according to sources at the anti-graft agency.
Obanikoro was only just granted administrative bail for allegedly partaking in the $2.1B looted from the treasury by former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki.
Investigators say N4.7B was paid into the account of Sylvan McNamara (a company which has Obanikoro’s sons as Directors) by Dasuki.
Obanikoro was set free by EFCC personnel after returning N134M with a promise to refund more.
He had turned himself into the EFCC upon his return from the United States in October, 2016.
However, the anti-graft agency has linked the former junior Minister to a fresh case of corruption during the administration of erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan.
EFCC investigators have told Pulse that in the build-up to the 2015 presidential election, Obanikoro received over N400M from the Coordinator of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation in Lagos State, Adewale Onilere.
Onilere who is the Chairman of the PDP in Somolu Local Government Area of Lagos, allegedly received N650M from the Jonathan campaign organisation.
Investigators say the sum came from the N23B allegedly stolen from state coffers by former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Obanikoro contested the PDP governorship primary election in Lagos. He lost that contest to Jimi Agbaje who went on to lose the general vote to APC candidate and incumbent Lagos Governor Ambode.
“We’ve already invited Obanikoro over and he’s denied receiving money from Onilere, but that’s not what the evidence in our possession says. We’ll be inviting Obanikoro and Onilere again”, one EFCC personnel said to Pulse on the basis of anonymity.
We did try to reach out to Obanikoro for comments, but his phone was switched off at the time of filing this.
An aide of Obanikoro’s also declined to comment on the subject, warning Pulse not to use his name for this story.
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