CORRUPTION CHARGES: EFCC seizes Fani-Kayode’s passport

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized the passport belonging to a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, The PUNCH has learnt.

The former minister, who served as the Director of Publicity of the Goodluck Jonathan during the 2015 presidential election, was arrested on Monday last week for receiving N840m.

The money, which Fani-Kayode admitted to receiving, was said to have emanated from the account of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The ex-minister had, however, insisted that he did not know that the money emanated from the CBN because he was assured by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party that the money was sourced from private individuals.

A spokesman for Fani-Kayode, Mr. Jude Ndukwe, confirmed to our correspondent that the ex-minister had submitted his passport to the EFCC.

Ndukwe said the EFCC had given the ex-minister bail conditions but had refused to release him despite meeting the conditions.

He said, “The EFCC gave him two bail conditions. The first condition was that he would hand over his passport while the second condition was for him to provide two sureties. The two sureties must be at least directors in the civil service and must have properties in AMAC (Abuja Municipal Area Council).

“Five days after meeting the conditions, the EFCC has refused to release him.”

In a related development, the EFCC has arrested a former Principal Private Secretary, to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Hassan Tukur.

Tukur, it was learnt, was arrested by operatives of the EFCC in Abuja on Monday.

It was, however, not clear as of press time, why the ex-aide was being detained.

However, Tukur had been on the radar of the EFCC for several months over the alleged $15bn arms scam.

He was said to have been given money to help negotiate a peace deal with Boko Haram during the Jonathan administration.

Meanwhile, the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Ramalan Yero, has a guest of the EFCC for the last 48 hours where he is being quizzed for allegedly receiving N700m.

Sources at the EFCC told our correspondent that Yero was being investigated for his alleged role in the $115m shared by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

The money, which was handled by Fidelity Bank Plc, was said to have been used in bribing several officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission during the build-up to the 2015 presidential election.

A reliable source at the EFCC told our correspondent that Yero was still being grilled as of 8pm on Tuesday.

The source said, “He was arrested after two officials of the Peoples Democratic Party in Kaduna State implicated him. We were told that he personally handled N700m during the election. However, he said all the money was distributed to party members during the election.

“He is still in our Kano zonal office.”

All attempts to speak with the spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, proved abortive.