with
Osinbajo
Salami Panel: How Osinbajo’s Aide Collected N250m
without Executing Contracts
After receiving N250 million, Dr. Donald Wokoma, a Special
Assistant (SA) to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, allegedly failed to
execute some contracts awarded to his firms in 2018.
The Economic Confidential gathered that Wokoma was a signatory
to the bank accounts of the companies when he was Special Assistant
to the Vice President on the National Economic Council (NEC).
A seasoned investigator at the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) exposed the deal while testifying before the
Justice Isa Ayo Salami Presidential Investigative Panel on
Thursday.
The Justice Ayo Salami panel is a Presidential Investigative
Committee examining activities of EFCCunder the stewardship of
suspended Acting Chairman of the agency Ibrahim Magu between 2015
and 2020.
The anti-corruption operative, whose name is withheld for
security reason, alleged that several contracts were awarded
without execution and payments were made to the company under
Presidential Amnesty Programme.
The officer said the case was assigned to Special Investigation
Team sitting in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA)
after an intelligence report was received on the ‘fraud’ which was
one of the fraudulent activities at the Office of the Presidential
Amnesty Programme in 2018.
But upon investigation, it was revealed that Damijay Integrated
Services was awarded a contract worth about N98m, and a similar
contract was awarded to another company named Eagle Technology Ltd,
at the same amount of N98m.
“It was further revealed that after the payment, Eagle Tech
transferred the money paid to it to Damijay. The total sum of N250m
was then transferred from Damijay to Elixir Investments Partners as
Investment. In the course of the investigation, it was discovered
that Donald Wokoma an SA to the Vice President was the sole
signatory to the account of Damijay and he, his wife and son were
the shareholders of the company,” the operative disclosed.
He then added that: “Wokoma was invited to the Commission and
after his initial statement was recorded, the Chairman was briefed
and he requested for a written brief on the involvement of Wokoma
and that he needed to inform the Vice President. He left for the
Villa to the VP’s office and up until about 11 pm there was no
communication from him.”
The EFCC investigator told the panel that Wokoma was detained
and subsequently released on the instructions of the Chairman.
According to him, Wokoma’s regular and Diplomatic Passports were
retained but were later released to Wokoma on the directives of the
Chairman.
He said: “In the course of the investigation, it was discovered
that the contracts awarded to Damijay and Eagle Tech were never
executed and the receipts provided by Wokoma as proof of purchase
of items were found to be false as the said trader whom was claimed
to have sold the items was traced in Portharcourt and he stated he
never sold the said items.
“The 250m invested by Wokoma and traced to Elixir Invest was
then placed on HOLD. Wokoma subsequently, instituted a civil suit
for the hold placed on his fund to be lifted and the court-ordered
sometime in November 2018 that in the absence of a court order, the
hold should be lifted. However, in same November 2018, the
Commission was granted a freezing order by the court on the funds
which nullified the initial order.”
The operative who is said to be one of the incorruptible
investigators EFCC can boast of added that the investigation of the
entire case was concluded and four separate charges were proffered
against the following Brig. Gen. Boroh (rtd) and Hanafi Moriki;
Sgt. Joshua Ebemeiyefa; Donald Wokoma & his company Damijay;
together with Paul Ofana Santus and his companies.
According to the EFCC personnel, the four charges were then
taken to the chairman. After perusal, the chairman directed that
the name of Donald Wokoma be removed from the charge, and only his
company be charged, while all other charges be filed as well.
“Shortly after, some of the officers investigating the case were
transferred for being stumbling blocks of the soft landing intended
to be given to Donald Wokoma. It was later gathered that the
Chairman directed that no one should look for Donald or any of his
family members since it was only Damijay that was charged.”
The officer added: “Subsequently, Donald Wokoma’s lawyer, Bar
Victor Giwa wrote through the Attorney General’s Office for the
lifting of the restriction of the funds and upon being served with
the letter, the Chairman directed that Donald Wokoma’s name be
returned to the charge.
“The Charge was subsequently amended and served on Donald
Wokoma. Bar Giwa also wrote directly to the Chairman requesting
again for the restriction on the funds to be lifted. The
arraignment of Donald Wokoma is, however, pending as the matter is
slated for sometime in September 2020.”