Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State today forces Access Bank to shut down
its operations in the state. Mr. Fayose's extraordinary action came
after bank officials prevented the girlfriend of former Aviation
Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, from drawing funds from the flagged account.
SaharaReporters
learned that Mr. Fani-Kayode's girlfriend arrived in Ekiti and
attempted to withdraw funds from an account linked to slush provided by
detained former National Security Adviser, Dasuki. The account is part
of the subject of the former Aviation minister's ongoing prosecution for
fraud at a Federal High Court in Lagos.
Saharareporters learned
that security officials concluded that an account opened at Access Bank
by one "Sonia Chikwendu Precious," with account number 0024425113, was
linked to money laundering. The account was flagged after security and
anti-corruption agents determined that it was one of the several
accounts into which another former minister, Esther Usman Nenadi, paid
illicit funds.
When Fani-Kayode's girlfriend arrived at Access
Bank in Ekiti to withdraw funds, bank officials contacted agents of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The EFCC had earlier
instructed the bank to alert security agents whenever anybody showed up
to carry out transactions the account.
Our correspondent learned
that Ms. Precious was with her eight-month-old baby at the time of her
arrest. Our source said EFCC officials in Lagos asked the Divisional
Police Officer in charge of a police station near the Ajilosun branch of
the bank in Ado Ekiti to release her on bail as EFCC agents in Lagos
were unable to get to Ekiti on time to take a statement from the nursing
mother.
Our source said the DPO contacted Governor Fayose
instead of going to the bank who then rushed to the bank to free Mr.
Fani-Kayode's girlfriend. After freeing her from the bank, Mr. Fayose
then marched back to the bank premises to close down the bank, swearing
that the bank would never operate in Ekiti during the remainder of his
tenure as governor.
Several months ago, Mr. Fayose also
humiliated Zenith Bank officials in the state, demanding that one of the
bank managers go on his knees to apologize for exposing his laundering
of slush funds provided for gubernatorial campaign purposes by former
President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014.
In
an apparent effort to gain public sympathy and whitewash Mr. Fayose's
action as well as the attempt by Mr. Fani-Kayode's girlfriend to
withdraw funds from a flagged, both the governor and the former Aviation
minister issued statements claiming that the EFCC detained
Fani-Kayode's mistress along with an 8-month old baby.
EFCC
sources told SaharaReporters that Ms. Precious Chikwendu was used as a
front to open two fake bank accounts at Diamond Bank and 15 bank
accounts at Guaranty Trust Bank to launder funds for Mr. Fani-Kayode
during a time the ex-minister waxed strong as the chief propagandist for
Mr. Jonathan's re-election bid in 2015.
Mr. Fani-Kayode is currently on trial for multi-billion naira money laundering before a Federal High Court in Lagos.
Precious
Chikwendu, a key player in the former minister's money laundering
operations, had used the Zenith bank account linked to Fani -Kayode to
apply for her BVN. Security agents said BVN checks showed that the woman
had been employed by Mr. Fani-Kayode to execute several fraudulent
transactions.
In 2015, Mr. Fani-Kayode purchased a Range Rover
Sports SUV for the mother of his baby. An EFCC source said the car was a
likely appreciation for the woman's role in laundering funds for him.
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