Is this the beginning of the end of the incumbent Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mrs. Farida Waziri? The question becomes pertinent should one consider the precarious situation the former Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) has suddenly found herself. National Daily authoritatively gathered that the Presidency has ordered a comprehensive probe to be carried out regarding Mrs. Farida's handling of the commission's purse. In fact the probe of the anti-graft boss who has also been accused of collecting gratification from some individuals and sweeping their investigation under the carpet, we learnt , is nearing conclusion.
The directive, sources revealed, was as a result of a petition forwarded to the Presidency. Not happy with the content of the petition, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was reported to have invited the Chairman on Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) Rtd. Honourable Justice Emmanuel Ayoola to Aso Rock for executive briefing on the matter. By the time Ayoola left the Presidency, sources disclosed that, he was armed with enough conviction to speedily implement the task.
ICPC had since set up a special team which has commenced investigation into the damning allegation, most of which National Daily got hold of.
It was gathered that investigation into Mrs. Farida's tenure at the EFCC has revealed troubling details of her alleged involvement in direct stealing from the commission's coffer. She was accused of having specifically used, her "Special Assistant" to make cash withdrawals from the agency. These withdrawals have been made under the bogus heading of "Information Funds".
Further investigation showed that between June 23 2008 and October 22nd, Waziri with the aid of her blood brother, Yisa Terfa Moses, whom she hired as her 'Special Assistant' withdrew the sum of N75 million as "Information Fund" from the account of the EFCC.
Waziri had earlier recruited a police officer of her ethnic stock, a Tiv named James Vandefan Tersudh, to take charge of the accounts' department at the EFCC, A breakdown of Waziri's alleged "Information Fund" withdrawals showed that on Monday June 23, 2008, she took out N5 million. Three days later, on June 26, 2008, she made cash withdrawals of N15 million. She followed up with withdrawals of N15 million on July 22nd 2008 and another N15 million on July 28, 2008.
Waziri's alleged systematic looting of EFCC funds resumed on August 2nd 2008 with cash withdrawal of N2 million, followed by another withdrawal of N3 million on August 14th 2008. Mrs. Waziri on September 20th and October 14th 2008, respectively, also took out N20 million in two- installments of N10 million.
Sources revealed that it has been pretty difficult for investigators to determine any specific "information" projects that the withdrawn monies were used for. Also, no documentation on their usage were provided in the account books of the EFCC.
However, two sources within the agency informed that, Waziri used the funds to fete and "take care" of journalists in an attempt to shore up her badly battered image.The cash withdrawals, National Daily gathered, coincided with the discovery of Waziri's curious purchase of Federal Government owned properties in the Wuse II Area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. As a Retired Former Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Waziri owned only one plot of land in Maitama Area of Abuja. Investigations, however revealed, that on May 26th 1999, she was allocated plot 601 at 23 Aso Garden Estate, Maitama, Abuja. One Barrister Mike Ejeh submitted her application.
Since her assumption of office in 2008, Waziri, investigation revealed, has acquired several properties in Abuja. She purchased from Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) a Federal Government house valued at N50.04 million at number 10 Port Novo Street, Wuse 11, Abuja. The house was described in FCDA records seen by National Daily as a Five-bedroom detached house with boy's quarters.
Waziri paid N5 million for the property through a bank draft issued by Access Bank of Nigeria Plc, The property is currently being renovated. A source confirmed that the Access Bank link was suspicious. On assuming office as EFCC chair, she was reported to have moved almost all EFCC Accounts to the bank where her daughter was employed. Shortly after her relocation of the agency's account, investigators confronted EFCC spokesperson Femi Babafemi who admitted that the Access Bank has EFCC account. However, he said only the EFCC salary accounts were moved there.
It was not clear how Mrs. Waziri paid the balance of N45 Million on the property, but a source at FCT told us that the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Aliyu Umar Modibbo, grossly undervalued the property. "The Minister was in trouble because of serious cases of corruption, and he offered the house to Mrs. Waziri at a give-away price m order to secure her support otherwise a property of that type in Wuse 11 cost at least N150 million.”
Waziri, sources disclosed, "was responding to allegations contained in petition which accused El-Rufai of embezzling N32 billion. The Nigerian Senate was also simultaneously probing the alleged embezzlement. The funds at the centre of the investigation were monies which El -Rufai placed with an FCT-owned Loans and Savings Bank, Aso Savings, from which Federal Civil Servants were supposed to draw housing loans.
Unknown to Yar'adua, Modibbo had withdrawn the funds from Aso Savings and distributed it amongst various commercial banks leaving behind a meagre N7 Billion, In "gratitude", the banks paid Modibbo the interest generated from the deposits, even a Presidency circular asking him to return the funds to the Central Bank of Nigeria was ignored. EFCC agents found out about the extensive fraud as they interrogated Modibbo and took his statements - which were forwarded to the Presidency before Waziri could see them. Unaware of her agents' damning report, she commissioned another report on Modibbo, highly favourable, which was again dispatched to the Presidency.
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Briefed on Modibbo's extensive corruption dossier with Presidency, it was reported in September 2008 that he was penciled for removal from office. While awaiting his removal from office, Modibbo hurriedly allocated lands to 24 individuals on September 24th 2008.
An FCT official informed that all ministerial approvals derive from land applications. Two editors of two major news media contacted, stressed the same point. Further insight was shared by an official at the EFCC familiar with details of Modibbo's corrupt deals who stated that the former minister's decision to allocate lands to Waziri alongside top newspapers editors was done to ensure that the transaction was not reported and that Modibbo's extensive scams at the FCT were covered up.
Waziri's Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) was offered to her the next day. The C of 0 read that she was allocated Plot 1460 of 25 Trent River Street, Maitama, Abuja with file number 60219 in Cadastral Zone, B06 of MABUSHI.
However, her plot soon assume a game of hide-and-seek. According to a source within FCT who knew about the transaction, Waziri and the former minister suspected that people were aware of the land allocated to her. Waziri, then, arranged with the FCT to change the ownership of her land. On October 13th 2008, the Federal Capital Territory Administration Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) wrote her a "withdrawal letter" titled "Notice of Withdrawal of Right of Occupancy", the short letter, addressed to Mr. Farida Mzamber Waziri, stated that her Right of Occupancy to Plot 1460 within B06 Mabushi was revoked by "DISCRETION BY AUTHORITY." The letter listed the Director of Development Control, Director Legal, and Director "URP" as the source of the letter.
Two days after the revocation, the same plot was allocated to Waziri's daughter, Zainab Naomi Salawu. The same plot was now assigned a new file number GO 60167. In an attempt to hide the exact identity of the re-allocated land, FCT Officials gave the address as 2 River Trent Crescent, Maitama - Abuja.
In a move that betrayed her stake in the land, Mrs. Waziri sent Mohammed A. Bako, the EFCC protocol officer, to sign a letter accepting the land. Bako, who signed on behalf of Zainab Naomi Salawu, foolishly gave his EFCC Office Phone Number 09-6441118, and Mobile Number: 0803-325-5447, his E-mail Address: [email protected] as well as his home address in Karu Phase 1 Area of Abuja. Zainab Salawu is believed to own a Hair Saloon in London known as "NAOMI DAVIDS",
The land grab by Mrs. Waziri is coming on the heels of a recent revelation of her receipt of a Mercedes Benz GL 450 gift from Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom.
Details of the ongoing investigation equally revealed that Waziri has since February 2009 been receiving the sum of N50 million monthly from Intercontinental Bank Plc,N20 million monthly from Access Bank and N10 million monthly from Skye Bank Plc, these monies, sources disclosed, represent interests accruing to the over N300 billion recovered looted funds including the N17 billion from former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun, placed as fixed deposits in these commercial banks by the EFCC. These funds, National Daily gathered, were supposed to be placed in the federation account instead of these commercial banks.
Between March and April 2009, Waziri, reports have it, singlehandedly collected the sum of N15 million from the commission's Account to bribe journalists so as to carry good stories to her credit. This expenditure was never provided for at the EFCC budget of 2009.
Waziri is also yet to account for the bogus N200 million she spent on behalf of the commission in organizing the Jamboree and Shenanigan called "ANCOR" early this year. She spent N700 million each in the ANCOR launch, in Lagos and Abuja. Again, this was never provided for in either the 2008 or 2009 EFCC budgets.
Her corrupt practices also extend to collection of bribes and gratification. For instance, she collected the sum of N50 million from Dr. Olusegun Agagu (former Governor of Ondo State) to carpet investigation into his regime's serial fraud and looting as exposed by the petition from a renowned and fearless Anti-corruption activists, Barrister OgboIi Charles and Barrister Ugochukwu Osuagwu. N30 million was also collected as bribe by Waziri from Mr. Tayo Alasoadura, former Commissioner for Finance, Ondo State, this is in addition to the N50 million she collected in April 2009 from Aliko Dangote so as to soft pedal on the probe of his alleged fraudulent activities and economic sabotage.
Additional allegation revealed the breach of Federal Character Principles. Early last April, Waziri recruited 20 lawyers for the Agency's legal department and 11 senior staff. The said interview for these lawyers was conducted by her principal staff officer (PSO), Mr. Sango, without the knowledge of the commission's secretary who is the Commission's Chief Administrative officer. And to compound this violation, 11 of these lawyers and all the 11 senior staff were from Benue State, her state of origin.
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