- Governor Ayodele Fayose paid N75 million to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome
- Fayose paid that money from a N1.2billion received from the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA), says the EFCC
- The EFCC says it froze Ozekhome's account because the money was suspected to be proceed of crime
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, March 15, said Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose, made a part-payment of N75 million to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome, from an alleged N1.2billion the governor allegedly received from the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA).
EFCC reveals how Fayose paid Ozekhome from N1.2b received from ONSA
The commission said it froze Ozekhome’s account because the money was suspected to be proceed of crime.
Ozekhome prayed Justice Abdullazeez Anka to unfreeze his firm’s account which the court froze at EFCC’s instance on February 7.
Opposing the application, EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, argued that Ozekhome ought to have reasonably known that the money he received as part-payment for legal fees was proceed of “fraudulent activities.”
He said: “EFCC received an intelligence showing that one Mr. Ayodele Fayose received N1, 219,490,000 from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) through the Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, who conveyed the money through an aircraft to Akure airport.
“It investigated the intelligence and discovered that the sum of N137million was paid into account numbered 1003126654 operated by Fayose on June 26, 2014.
“On August 22 and 27, 2014, the sums of N50million and N118million were also credited to the account.”
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Oyedepo said having discovered that the funds were “proceeds of crime,” EFCC approached Justice Mohammed Idris of the court’s Lagos division for an order freezing the account pending conclusion of investigation.
The lawyer said the order by Justice Idris was not appealed against by either Fayose or Zenith Bank Plc where the money was lodged.
“The N75million is from the proceed of the alleged crime fraudulently taken from the ONSA and kept in Fayose’s account from where it was transferred to Ozekhome,” he said.
Oyedepo said EFCC is empowered to freeze any money suspected to be proceed of crime even if it is not in possession of the person committing the unlawful act.
Meanwhile, Chief Mike Ozekhome has raised concern over the spate of violence in Nigeria insisting that true federalism was the solution to the country’s problem.
The prominent lawyer spoke during the Authority Newspapers Awards for Excellence and Good Governance i2016 which took place at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
He delivered a lecture on “True Federalism” describing it as a system of government that allows people to “live within their comfort zone respecting others while being respected in turn with a central government and component units."
: “Nigeria is made of about 390 ethnic groups and not just three. If you give undue prominence to the Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba ethnicities; neglecting the other ethnic groups, you will continue to experience insurgency and agitation for self-determination.
“We need to give voice to the voiceless, let people express themselves. Whilst not advocating for the break-up of Nigeria, we must allow the minorities to have their say and let the majority have their way through dialogue.”
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