•Commission freezes another account of suspect
•Banker reveals how MDGs cash was used to buy cars
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will today arraign Abiodun Agbele, an associate of Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Nation learnt yesterday that the EFCC will arraign him before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, who sits as the court’s vacation judge.
It was gathered that the EFCC filed a charge against Agbele on Monday, a copy of which had been served on the suspect, who is still being held in the anti-graft agency’s custody.
Also yesterday, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Maitama, Abuja rejected an application by the EFCC for a stay of the execution of his judgment granting bail to Agbele.
Justice Adeniyi, in rejecting EFCC’s application, held among others, that the agency failed to supplied sufficient evidence to warrant the grant of its application for stay of execution.
The EFCC had arrested Agbele in Lagos on June 28 and has kept him in its custody on the grounds that it was investigating him in relation to the N1, 299, 490,000 it said was found in a Zenith Bank account.
EFCC said the amount was proceeds of economic and financial crime in which Agbele “was found to have allegedly assisted in receiving and concealing in conspiracy with the former Defence Minister, Musiliu Obanikoro and Fayose.”
EFCC said it obtained a remand warrant from a Magistrate Court in Lagos on June 30 to keep Agbele for 14 days, but moved him to Abuja on July 1.
It later applied to a Magistrate Court in Abuja on July 13 for another remand warrant, two days after Agbele had initiated his suit.
On July 21, Justice Adeniyi, in a judgment on a fundamental rights suit by Agbele, through his lawyers, Ozekhome and Olalekan Ojo, faulted EFCC’s continued detention of the applicant without a valid court order.
The judge, who ordered his immediate release, awarded N5 million damages against the EFCC in Agbele’s favour.
It was also gathered yesterday the EFCC has frozen another slush account belonging to the company of Agbele.
The account, titled: BYKD Consult Account 0059177132 and domiciled in Diamond Bank, was discovered to have been used to divert funds of local governments and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Also, an Executive Trainee with Diamond Bank, Rita Balogun, has admitted to the EFCC that some of the funds of MDGs and local governments were laundered through Agbele company’s account to buy choice cars by the state government.
A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We have frozen the BYKD Consult Account being operated by Agbele to launder state funds.
“Preliminary investigation has so far confirmed that Agbele has been a key front for the state governor in collecting slush funds.”
In her testimony on oath to the EFCC, Rita Balogun said: “I took over the account in June 2016 and I visited the customer’s office. The customer runs a restaurant at No. 54 Awolowo Avenue, Cottons Bodija, Ibadan.
“The office is a cream building close to the fence where they sell foods and drinks, but I never met the customer. But the security man confirmed he runs his business there.
“Since I took over the account in June 2016, there has not been any inflow. The balance in the account as at date and when I took over is N3,634,476.65.
“Upon review of the account, the major inflow came in four bits from MDG-CGS-local government. The major debit basically goes to Affordable Cars Limited and the balance as at date is N3,634,476.65.
“The account is on Post –No-Debit status as requested by the EFCC.
“The instrument highlighted transactions was shown to me as follows: 18/2/15-MDG-CGS-LG(N18,159.50 credit); 18/2/15(N15, 319, 850.00 credit); 18/2/15(N11, 238, 500 credit); 19/2/15 Affordable Motors Limited(Toyota)-N40 million debit; 20/2/15- Affordable Cars Limited(N15 million debit); 30/3/15-MDG-CGS-LG (N15, 704.325); 1/4/15—FIN Insurance Broker-(N3.195 million debit); 29/4/15-Abiodun Agbele-(N5 million debit); 30/4/15-Abiodun Agbele-(N5 million debit); and 15/5/15- Abiodun Agbele-(N2 million debit).
“The EFCC is requesting for the debit and credit instructions for the above stated transactions. I will tell the Compliance Unit of Diamond Bank for the requested instrument.”
Agbele was still in detention as at press time over N1.299 billion slush funds, which were ferried in cash to Akure Airport by ex-Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro.
Agbele collected the slush funds from Obanikoro, who brought the cash to Akure Airport in a chartered aircraft with Registration No: HS125-800 5N-BMT belonging to Gyro Air Limited.