10 Nigerian Politicians That Allegedly Stole Just As Much As Ibori. April 18, 2012. By Abiodun Badejo
Several
Politicians have been investigated and charged with Financial crimes by
Nigerian law enforcement agencies only to be set free by an oftentimes
compromised Nigerian Judicial System. Unlike Ibori whose new address is Her
Majesty’s Prisons, these sacred cows are presently occupying top government
positions or eying them.
Most of them
were governors who ended their tenure in 2007 after looting the treasury of
their respective states.
DSP
ALAMEISEIGHYA:
Most
prominent is the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepriye Alamieyeseigha who
was arrested on January 15, 2005 on money laundering charges by the London
Metropolitan Police but fled the country, reportedly disguised as a woman. He
was impeached by the Bayelsa State Assembly and his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan
became governor. Alameiseighya did not have a single home anywhere in highbrow
Lagos until he became governor. He bought a Maybach (the ultra-luxury vehicle
seized from Ibori), choice houses in Lagos, Abuja, London and Beverly Hills
(for his daughter) with the commonwealth of the people of Bayelsa.
The Nigerian
Judicial system let him off the hook and he is careful not to set foot in the
UK.
He is now an
esteemed statesman who advises President Goodluck Jonathan.
JOLLY NYAME:
Also, the
erstwhile Governor of Taraba state, Jolly Nyame was also accused by the EFCC of
defrauding his state of over N1.7billion.
Nyame was a
three-term governor of the state, having first ruled between 1991 and 1993,
before securing another two terms from 1999 to 2007.
He pleaded
not guilty to all the charges and his counsel moved an application for his bail
on the grounds that the offenses were bailable in law. He was ordered remanded
in prison custody by the court.
The judge
said that considering all the evidence before the court, there is a prima facie
case against the
former
governor, adding that the offence relating to corruption attracts 14 years jail
term and can therefore pass for a case that is serious in law.
Now, Nyame
is an ACN leader in Taraba after defecting from PDP to the party. He contested
for the senatorial seat under the ACN platform with PDP candidate, Aisha
Alhassan, a woman who eventually won the poll.
IGBINEDION
LUCKY:
Another
governor on the trial list was the former governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky
Igbinedion, is the only former governor, who paid back money into state coffers
through a plea bargain. He faced a 191-count charge of embezzling N4.3 billion.
A Federal
High Court, Enugu had found him guilty and he immediately refunded the N 3
million, a crumb compared to the loaves he embezzled.
The case was
determined on January 23, 2008. The EFCC, last February appealed the judgment,
urging for stiffer sanctions.
This time,
Igbinedion will face a N25 billion fraud trials at the Federal High Court in
Benin, in what some observers said was motivated to curtail his political
activities.
The EFCC in
April 2011 sealed off two choice mansions of the former governor. The two
properties are those on No. 7 Justice Fatai Williams Street, Asokoro Abuja and
No. 5 Danube Crescent, Maitama Abuja. The exercise was carried out on the heels
of a forfeiture order granted the EFCC on Tuesday, March 1, 2011, by a Federal
High Court in Lagos.
The court,
presided over by Justice Mohammed Idris, authorised EFCC to seize 11 choice
properties spread over Benin, Lagos, Abuja and London, traced to the former
governor
Now,
Igbinedion calls South Africa home, where he has a palatial mansion and it is
rumored his son drives a purple Rolls Royce Phantom.
SAMINU
TURAKI:
In July
2011, the EFCC re-arraigned Saminu Ibrahim Turaki over a N36 billion fraud
before a Federal High Court in Dutse on a 32-count fraud charge.
Samimu
Turaki, the former governor of Jigawa state who had dumped the ANPP for the PDP
before the expiration of his tenure and later dumped the PDP for the ACN when
he sought a return ticket to the Senate which he lost.
Some of the
charges included N12 billion withdrawn from the state government treasury for
financing former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s third term mission.
After
reading the 32-count charge, Turaki, who appeared in the court in person,
pleaded not
guilty to
all the charges. His lawyer, Mr. Mahmud Abubakar Magaji, prayed the court to
grant bail to his client.
After
several arguments by his lawyer and EFCC counsel, the judge, Justice Shehu
Yahaya, granted the accused bail based on the conditions granted by the
previous judges.
In July
2011, the EFCC re-arraigned Saminu Ibrahim Turaki over a N36 billion fraud
before a Federal High Court in Dutse on a 32-count fraud charge.
ORJI KALU:
The former
Governor of Abia, Uzor Kalu and the founder of the Progressive People’s
Alliance (PPA), who in April 2011 lost his bid to represent Abia North
Senatorial District in the Senate, is accused by the EFCC of embezzling a N59
billion.
The EFCC is
worried that since 2007 when Kalu was arrested and arraigned, the case had been
experiencing
long adjournments at the instance of the trial court.
The former
governor is standing trial over alleged stealing of N59 billion (equivalent of
US$460.9 million), and as a result was arraigned on 107-count charge by the
anti-graft agency.
His trial
was stalled due to several appeals in which he wanted the court to quash the
charges. His appeals all failed both at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme
Court, and since then he was returned to the trial court to face criminal
charges before Justice Adamu Bello of an Abuja Federal high Court.
The case
came up on October 11, 2011 after a long adjournment from May 2011, but because
judges
were holding
their annual conference at Sokoto, the matter was adjourned to March 8, 2012
Kalu left
PDP when he shown is interest to contest for the Presidential seat and form PPA
where
he produced
the present governor Theodore Orji who happened to be his Chief of Staff.
Theodore
Orji played a fast game on his political godfather by decamping to PDP without
properly informing his political benefactor.
Thus he
ensured that Kalu lost the senatorial seat under PPA. Kalu is relaxing in a big
mansion in Maryland, USA.
AYODELE
FAYOSE:
Ayodele
Fayose, the former Governor of Ekiti State was also apprehended by the EFCC on
December 17, 2007. Fayose was impeached by the Ekiti House of Assembly in 2006
over an alleged financial mismanagement.
His House in
Ibadan was sealed by the anti-graft commission on September 30 2010. He accused
the former Ekiti State governor, Segun Oni of using his office and as a member
of PDP to instruct the EFCC to seal his house.
He left PDP
in 2010 and joined the Labour Party [LP] where he contested for the senatorial
seat in the last April general election. Fayose after losing the poll is now
back in PDP again where indication emerged that he may likely contest for the
governorship ticket under PDP.
OLABODE
GEORGE:
Though, he
was never been a civilian governor, but he ruled some states during the
military regime.
The PDP
Chieftain threatened court action over a newspaper allegation that an N85
billion scam was uncovered in the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) while he was
chairman of the NPA board. He described the allegation as senseless, baseless
and thoughtless.
He was
indicted by the EFCC when it was headed by Nuhu Ribadu on charges of fraud at
the NPA. However, he was widely rumoured to have been shielded from prosecution
by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In August
2008, the EFCC under its new head Farida Waziri arrested Olabode George in
Lagos and arraigned him and four others on a 163 count-charge of conspiracy,
disobedience to lawful order, abuse of office and alleged illegal award of
contracts worth N84 billion while he was chairman of the NPA. After the trial
had started, the EFCC reduced the charge to 63 counts. In October 2009, Bode
George was found guilty and sentenced to jail for 30 months.
Back from
the prison, the PDP chieftain in Lagos state activeness in politics has remain
doubting. Some supporters of the PDP and opposition parties believed that
George is no more relevant in Nigeria politics.
HASSAN LAWAL:
A former
Minister for works, Hassan Lawal is still under trial over alleged N50billion
fraud by the EFCC.
Lawal who
was minister under late President regime, Umaru Yar’adua decamped from PDP
after he was dropped by President Goodluck Jonathan after the death of Yar’adua
and pitched his tent with the Congress of Progressive Change [CPC].
Already, the
EFCC has charged the suspect to court.
ALAO-AKALA:
Coming from
the South West region is the former Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala.
He was arraigned by the EFCC on 11 count charge for awarding contracts without
budget provision by defrauding the state N11billion. He has been granted bailed
and whilst Nigerians are waiting for the next action to be taken by the EFCC on
Alao-Akala,
his family seems to think all is well. His son Ola recently purchased a house
in Lekki Phase 1 where he parks a BMW X6 and a Range Rover.
GBENGA
DANIEL:
Gbenga
Daniel, the former governor of Ogun State, has been re-arraigned this week by
the EFCC over the alleged N58billion he looted after being set free by the
Federal High Court in Abeokuta.
Daniel was
alleged to have converted the state fund to his own pocket by using the state
treasury to by properties.
IBRAHIM
BABANGIDA:
Reportedly,
Babangida is in a league of his own when it comes to looting. The $12 billion
oil windfall he alleged pilfered could have brought the people of the North out
of poverty and illiteracy. In fact we may not be talking of Boko Haram if the
former military leader hadn’t been the father of modern corruption in Nigeria.
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