Obanikoro, wife, son recover N500m houses, land from EFCC

A former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu
Obanikoro, his wife and children have recovered three properties
worth about N500m from the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, SUNDAY PUNCH report.

The properties include four terrace houses located at 44 Mamman
Kotangora Crescent in the highbrow Katamkpe Extension area of
Abuja; a parcel of land in Guzape District and a duplex at Olori
Mojisola Onikoyi Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Our correspondents, who visited the properties on Thursday,
observed that the erstwhile red paint inscription, ‘EFCC, Keep
Off!’ had been wiped off on the walls of the buildings.

Obanikoro, who defected to the All Progressives Congress from
the Peoples Democratic Party about a year ago, was under
investigation along with his two sons for alleged money
laundering.

The ex-minister was accused of receiving N4.7bn from the Office
of the National Security Adviser under the leadership of Col. Sambo
Dasuki (retd.) in 2014.

About N2.2bn out of the funds was allegedly handed over to the
then governorship candidate of the PDP in Ekiti State, Governor
Ayodele Fayose, while N1.3bn was said to have been given to the
then Osun State governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

Obanikoro has, however, been converted to a prosecution witness
and is expected to testify against Fayose who he allegedly handed
part of the money to.

The ex-minister and his wife, Moroophat, had, in 2016, sued the
EFCC for seizing the houses but lost as the court ruled that the
EFCC had the right to seize properties of persons under
investigation.

An FCT High Court sitting in Jabi had ordered the forfeiture of
her property pending the outcome of investigations into her husband
and children.

The court also rejected a prayer asking that the EFCC pay her
the sum of N200m for violating her fundamental human rights.

Obanikoro’s wife had argued that she bought the property over
seven years before the alleged arms scam took place.

She said the EFCC had no right to punish her for any crime
allegedly committed by her husband and urged the court to award her
N200m.

However, in an affidavit deposed to by one Jackson Edet, the
EFCC claimed that Obanikoro’s wife could not claim to be ignorant
of her husband’s alleged crime.

The commission said Moroophat’s husband and her sons collected
over N600m from the ONSA for a non-existent contract.

The EFCC argued that investigation had shown that, “the property
belongs to Musliu Obanikoro and he paid for the statutory charges
for the property.

“That a lawyer, Tejumola Wasiu Adeboye, who volunteered a
statement to the commission, stated that he managed the said
property and remits the rent to MOB Integrated Services (a company
allegedly owned by Obanikoro which is also under probe).

In his ruling, Justice Y. Halilu said he could not stop the EFCC
from doing its work.

When contacted on the telephone, the acting spokesman for the
EFCC, Mr. Tony Orilade, said he had no information on the matter
and prayed for more time to respond.

He had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report on
Saturday.

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