THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, declared a former deputy governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, wanted.
Omisore, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) standard-bearer in the August 2014 governorship election in Osun State, according to a statement by EFCC’s Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, was wanted in connection with a case of receiving and misappropriating the sum of over N700 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), between June and November, 2014.
The statement added that the anti-corruption commission had, on April 7, 2016 extended an invitation to Omisore, asking him him “to come and make clarification on the ongoing investigation.”
The commission’s spokesman further stated that the former deputy governor, who was Chief Bisi Akande’s deputy in Osun State on the platform of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD), had remained elusive and refused to report to the commission.
He further noted that rather than responding to EFCC’s invitation, Omisore approached the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights.
Presiding judge in the suit, Justice Husseini Baba Yusuf, according to Uwujaren, ordered that the former senator, who was in the National Assembly between 2003 and 2011, should only be arrested through a due and legal process.
The EFCC’s spokesman stated that the anti-graft agency had obtained a warrant to effect the arrest of the politician.
In another development, a former secretary to the Bauchi State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Dandija, has refunded the sum of N10 million out of the N20 million he allegedly collected from the $115 million (about N23.29 billion) disbursed by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, for the last presidential election through Fidelity Bank.
Dandija, who served as the SSG during former governor Isa Yuguda’s two-term tenure before his removal in 2014, was arrested last week by EFCC operatives, from his Gombe zonal office alongside a former Personal Assistant to ex-governor Yuguda, Alhaji Sanusi Mohammed Isa and the state PDP secretary, Alhaji Salisu Garba, in connection with N500 million allegedly sent to the state from the Allison-Madueke’s campaign fund.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that Dandija had admitted in a written statement to the commission that N20 million passed through his hands to some other beneficiaries, but accepted liability for the refund of the whole sum.
It was also gathered that a former PDP chairman in Gombe State, Nuhu Poloma and the party’s zonal coordinator in Gombe, Taraba and Adamawa states, Bunu Mulima, also refunded N2 million and N5 million, respectively, to the commission.
A sum of N450 million passed through Poloma from the N23.29 billion Allison-Madueke election’s fund, out of which a source said he told EFCC that he only got N2 million, while Mulima, on the other hand got N30 million from the campaign fund.
An informed source within the commission said the suspects deposited the sum through bank drafts made out in EFCC’s name for their respective refund on Monday.
While Dandija paid N10 million through a bank draft of FCMB, Poloma bank draft came from Zenith Bank and Mulima issued a Union Bank’s draft.
In a statement he personally signed, Senator Omisore said: “EFCC is on character assassination, mischievous and political persecution mission. It was in court today (Tuesday) to ask for extension of time in the preliminary objection suit filed against Senator Omisore.
“The Managing Director of Fimex Gill indemnified Omisore from their contract deal with the ONSA. The company had even sued them for the payment of its balance. There was no issue of N700 million anywhere. “The relationship between the company and ONSA is civil and contractual. EFCC should not play the role of political victimisation and coercion.
“I cannot be stampeded or oppressed by any government in Nigeria. Blackmail won’t help EFCC, it should rather come to court with facts. This act of EFCC is unpatriotic and won’t get it any result. How can EFCC declare me, who was in court with EFCC officials at 9.00 a.m. on Tuesday wanted the same day? The world and human rights community are, hereby, called upon to caution EFCC from tarnishing my image.
