Society Gists

The former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, was at the Abuja office of the EFCC on Monday where he agreed to testify against Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and his aide, Abiodun Agbele, PUNCH reports.

Quoting a source, the report said:

Senator Obanikoro came to the EFCC office on Monday morning as part of investigations into the N4.7bn. Since he has confessed that he was the one who collected the N4.7bn and distributed it, he is in the best position to testify in court.

The EFCC wants him to testify against Agbele which will also build a strong case against Fayose who currently enjoys immunity. Obanikoro has agreed and will be listed as one of the EFCC witnesses.

If Agbele is convicted, it automatically means that Fayose will also be convicted once he is charged in 2018. So let Fayose continue to play games. Senator Iyiola Omisore and Obanikoro are cooperating and returning money. Their troubles will end soon while Fayose’s own will keep getting worse.

Obanikoro’s lawyer, James Onoja (SAN), when contacted on the issue, said: “I have been in court all day so I was not aware that he (Obanikoro) was with the EFCC. I will find out.”

“Obanikoro has returned N104m and has pledged to return N480m in installments every four months but if he cannot cooperate with the EFCC, then he and his sons may be charged along with the others. Plea bargain and negotiation are a standard practice in criminal justice across the world,” another source said.

Obanikoro ha told the EFCC that he handed over N1.219bn to Fayose, through Agbele from the N4.7bn from the Office of the National Security Adviser under the leadership of Col. Sambo Dasuki (Rtd) in June 2014.

He added that he also gave Omisore, the then governorship candidate of the PDP in Osun State, N1.3bn out of the money.

“Obanikoro was said to have converted a remainder of the money into $5.377m and handed it to Fayose at Spotless Hotel, Ado Ekiti, in the presence of the then Ekiti State PDP Secretary, Tope Aluko, and other party stalwarts. The ex-minister is believed to have kept about N785m for himself, an action which is said to have angered Fayose,” the report stated.