#DasukiGate: Obanikoro Reacts To N4.75 Billion Report; Demands Details On Company Linked To His Sons

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Sunday, January 31st, 2016

By Seun Adebosin

Following the allegation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that some members of his family collected money out of the $2.1 Billion for arms procurement, former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro has demanded the anti-draft agency to make public, details about the directors as well as signatories to the Bank account of a company traced to his sons.
Reacting to a newspaper report Saturday on the matter, Obanikoro later the same day, in a statement made available to the press by his media aide, Jonathan Eze, challenged the EFCC and insisted that it should provide real signatories to the Sylvan McNamara Limited Bank account. The company allegedly received the sum of N4.8Billion from the office of National Security Adviser (ONSA).

He held that this was important instead of “demonizing and deceiving Nigerians with vague, contrived and distorted information”.

The statement said: “Obanikoro is appalled by the public political persecution embarked upon by these agencies noting that there is nowhere in the world where investigations are being conducted using the pages of the newspapers”.

Obanikoro who also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs II queried the wisdom and logic of bandying figures and associating same with his sons who are thorough bred professionals in their own rights reminding them that the court of law is and remains the judicial institution for trying cases and not whipping sentiments in order to give the dog a bad name and hang it.

He urged the agency to be straight and above board in its investigations as well as avoid speculations and conjectures, which he noted were encroaching on the fundamental human rights of his sons, Gbolahan and Babajide.

Obanikoro defended: “Associating my sons to the Sylvan McNamara account that allegedly received funds from the office of the embattled National security Adviser is highly preposterous and unthinkable.

“I am particularly amazed by the fact that trials and investigations are being done using the media unconventionally just to satisfy the cravings of political entities who are desperate to rub my hard earned reputation in the mud.

“I am using this medium to challenge … the EFCC to publish in good conscience the signatories and the names of the directors of the said company and to restate that I shall conclusively pursue this injustice and infringements to a logical end.”

The statement also pointed accusing fingers at a Nigerian US based online news website title, to have started the accusation recently. The Saturday publication which prompted Obanikoro’s reaction alleged that a company linked to his sons received the sum of N4.75 Billion from ONSA.

The company allegedly received transfer of N200m June 5, 2015, while N2billion was also sent to the same firm from the CBN/ Imprest Main account June 16, 2015.

Again, the account was credited with the sum of N700Million July 7, 2014, while N1billion was deposited into July 30, 2014. Also, transfers which included N160 Milion August 8, 2014; N225 Million on August 22, 2014; N200 Million November 14, 2014 and N200 Million December 5, 2014 were also established

The report indicated that Obanikoro’s sons were directors as well as signatories to the account, until 2014 when another suspect, Olalekan Ogunseye was made the sole signatory to the account.