The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has reopened N772.2 billion money laundering cases against former Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa), Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (Sokoto), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), and seven others, it has been revealed.
Other former governors involved are Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa), Peter Odili (Rivers), and Theodore Orji (Abia), according to a report by The Punch on Sunday.
Matawalle, who is the Minister of state for Defence is being accused of N70 billion money laundering; while Fayemi, who served as Minister of Solid Minerals Development in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet from November 11, 2015 to May 30, 2018, before resigning to contest the governorship election for his second term, is facing charges of an alleged N4billion fraud, while Fayose, a two-term governor of Ekiti State, is being probed for an alleged N6.9bn fraud.
Nnamani is being investiagted for allegedly stealing N5.3bn fraud; Chime is facing charges of over an alleged N450m campaign fraud as part of the N23bn he shared allegedly by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Adamu is under investigation for alleged N15bn fraud.
Kwakwanso is being charged with non-remittance of N10billion pension fund; Orji is accused of over alleged N551billion money laundering.
Odili is similarly facing charge for alleged N100bn fraud. It is not yet clear how the probe of the ex-Rivers State governor will be handled as he obtained an order of perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC and other security agencies from a Federal High Court in March 2008, which has not been vacated to date.
Goje is being probed by the commission for an alleged N5bn fraud; Wammako is being investigated for allegedly diverting N15bn; Sylva, a former Minister of State for Petroleum under Buhari, is under probe for alleged N19.2bn money laundering; while Lamido is being investigated over an alleged N1.35bn fraud.
It was learnt that on Friday the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, was reviewing all the high-profile cases, adding that he has reappointed investigators to take up the several fraud cases without prejudice to the suspects’ social or political status.
“The chairman is reviewing all high profile cases, and he has ordered the investigators not to treat anyone differently, especially politically exposed persons, such as former governors and ministers, who were indicted for money laundering,” an impeccable source told The Punch.
