Fayose's properties seized by EFCC

– The EFCC sealed properties belonging to
Governor Fayose in Lagos and Abuja
– The properties were allegedly purchased
from fund received through the office of the
former national security adviser
– The governor has denied the allegation
and claimed his properties were gotten
through legitimate means
More trouble seems to be brewing for
Governor Ayodele Fayose as the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission seized his
properties located in Lagos and Abuja.
The Ekiti state governor has been under the
radar of the EFCC over the alleged transfer
of N1.219bn from the office of the national
security adviser to Ekiti in the build-up to the
state’s gubernatorial election in 2014 which
Fayose eventually won.

It was reported that the governor got the
money through Senator Musiliu Obanikoro
who allegedly transported the fund from
Lagos from a plane to Ekiti. Obanikoro has
since fled Nigeria to the US.
The Punch reports that the properties were
located in the highbrow areas of the state
and were seized because they were
purchased with stolen fund.
The EFCC invoked the Assets Forfeiture
clause to seize the properties in line with
Sections 28 and 34 of the EFCC
(Establishment Act) 2004 and Section 13(1)
of the Federal High Court Act, 2004.
Two of the properties located in 32
Yedseram Street and 44 Osun River
Crescent, Maitama, Abuja had the inscription
‘EFCC, Keep Off’ on the fences.
According to the EFCC, the property on Osun
River Crescent was purchased in the name
of Mrs. Moji Ladeji, Fayose’s sister who is
based in London.

The two properties in Abuja are reportedly
worth N470 million.
The properties in Lagos were four duplexes
located at Plot 100 Tiamiyu Savage Street,
Victoria Island and they cost $1.3m (N364m)
each.
In a court affidavit by the EFCC, the anti-
graft agency accused Fayose of using public
fund for his own benefit.
Part of the affidavit read: “Apart from
fraudulently retaining the sum of N1,
219,490,000 being part of the N4,
745,000,000 stolen from the treasury of the
Federal Government through the Office of the
National Security Adviser, the applicant
(Fayose) has also received gratification in form
of kickbacks from various contractors with the
Ekiti State Government such as Samchese
Nigeria Ltd, Tender Branch Concept Nig. Ltd,
Hoff Concept Ltd and Calibre Consulting Ltd.
“The applicant (Fayose) received these
kickbacks and gratification through Still Earth
Ltd and Signachorr Nigeria Limited. In turn, the
applicant (Fayose) instructed the Still Earth Ltd
and Signachoor Nigeria Limited to use the
funds to acquire properties for him.
“In complying with the applicant’s instruction,
Still Earth Limited and Signachoor Nigeria
Limited acquired properties on behalf of the
applicant (Fayose) in the name of a company
known as J.J Technical Services Limited
belonging to the applicant (Fayose) and his
wife (Feyisetan).

“That the applicant (Fayose) also used the
name of one Mrs. Moji Ladeji (the applicant’s
sister) to acquire a property situated at 44,
Osun Crescent, Maitama Abuja, from the
proceeds of the alleged offences of receiving
gratification and kickbacks.”
Governor Fayose has however denied the
allegation and said all his properties were
“bought legitimately and his properties were
duly declared in his assets declaration form
and sources of such funds were not illicit.”
Fayose insisted that he wasn’t afraid of the
media trial of the EFCC saying “the anti-
corruption agency and its collaborators in
the All Progressives Congress (APC) should
not be in a hurry in their ill-motive, rather
they should wait till 2018 after my tenure
when I will confront their lies.”
He also said: “the EFCC did more than this
in 2006 but when I challenged their cooked
up stories on poultry project in the court, the
EFCC failed to substantiate all their
allegations against me and their case
crumbled like a pack of cards…



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