Obanikoro Requests Restitution Of N200 Million Forfeited To EFCC

Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, a former Minister of State for Defence, told the Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday that he was forced to refund between N100m and N200m to the Federal Government under duress.

Obanikoro said this while appearing as the 12th prosecution witness in the trial of Mr Ayodele Fayose, the former governor of Ekiti State.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is investigating Fayose and his company, Spotless Investment Ltd, for alleged N2.2 billion fraud.

The EFCC accused Fayose of accepting N1.2 billion from a former National Security Advisor, Sambo Dasuki, to conduct his governorship election prosecution.

The defendants were also alleged to have on June 17, 2014, without going through financial institutions, received $5m from Obanikoro.

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But Fayose denied the allegations.
Obanikoro had, in his earlier testimony, told the court how he transported the cash in an aircraft and delivered to Fayose in Ekiti State.
He told Justice Chukwujeku Aneke that N1.2bn was deposited into the account of a company, Sylva McNamara, which was used to fund clandestine security operations aimed at preventing terrorists’ activities in Lagos State in two batches.

At the resumed trial on Tuesday, Obanikoro, while being cross-examined by the counsel for the second defendant, Mr Olalekan Ojo, (SAN), told the court that during the investigation of the case, he was invited by the EFCC, grilled and forced to refund N100m or N200m under duress.

Obanikoro, who told the court that after various investigations, the EFCC exonerated him of any wrong doing, added,”I was made to refund between N100m and N200m to the Federal Government under duress.

“I have instructed his lawyers, to write the EFCC for the return of the money he allegedly refunded under duress,” he said.

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