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Stallion Group Chief Held Over N1.275 Billion 'Gift' To Yuguda

December 17, 2015

A Nigerian conglomerate, the Stallion Group, is now being questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as part of the ongoing investigation into the arms procurement scandal in the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki.

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A source at the EFCC disclosed that Stallion’s name appeared when investigators, scrutinizing transactions carried out by the former NSA with Jabbama Company, a bureau de change operator, stumbled on evidence that Stallion Group had also paid N1.375 billion to the company; though N100 million of the money was later returned, leaving a balance of N1.275 billion.

Investigations further revealed that Jabbama converted the money into United States Dollars ($114,750,000) and handed it to Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, former Minister of State for Finance, who is already being prosecuted on multiple charges of fraud and money laundering.

Mr. Yuguda was said to have explained to EFCC interrogators that the N1.175 billion received from the Stallion Group was connected to former NSA Dasuki and for political purposes.

At the time of going to press, the managing director of Stallion Group, Harprrie Singh, was being quizzed by EFCC officials who are determined to get to the bottom of the questionable payments.

In the statement that he volunteered to interrogators, Singh claims his company has a $170 million contract with the ONSA to supply some vehicles and that he had already supplied the first batch of fifty vehicles since November 2014 which he has not been paid.

Additionally, he confessed that the money he gave to Yuguda was at the request of both Dasuki and Yuguda to support their party.

Detectives at the EFCC are left wondering why a corporate organization will, instead of making donation to any political cause through the relevant political parties, route the fund through the NSA.

They are also wondering whether the money was an inducement for a contract awarded to the company by the NSA.

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Scandal