A former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has returned a fresh sum of N30m to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in compliance with agreement he signed with the anti-graft body.
With the payment of a fresh N30m sum, Obanikoro now have a balance of N417m. Findings revealed that Obanikoro has now remitted a total of N167m to the coffers of the Federal Government since returning to the country in October last year.
According to a report by The Punch, Obanikoro paid the fresh sum from his Diamond Bank account to the EFCC Recovered Funds Account.
The source stated, “I can confirm that Senator Obanikoro has been meeting up his part of the agreement. You will recall that last year, he promised to return a certain amount of money every quarter.
“He has made a payment of N30m, his first instalment in 2017. He is also reporting at the EFCC as he should.”
The ex-minister, who returned to Nigeria in October 2016, after spending about 15 months in the United States, was accused of receiving N4.7bn from the Office of the National Security Adviser under the leadership of Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
Obanikoro had said in his statement of oath at the EFCC that after receiving the money in 2014, he gave N1.219bn to the then governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, while N1.3bn was given to the PDP governorship candidate in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
He also confessed to giving Fayose a separate $5.377m at Spotless Hotel in Ekiti State in the presence of party stalwarts, including the then PDP state secretary, Mr. Tope Aluko.
Obanikoro was said to have kept about N785m for himself, which he allegedly spent while campaigning ahead of the PDP governorship primary in Lagos State, which Mr. Jimi Agbaje won.
However, the EFCC asked him to return about N584m, out of which he has returned N167m. He is therefore meant to balance N417m into the coffers of the Federal Government.