A former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has told the Federal High Court in Lagos that he was made to refund between N100m and N200m to the Federal Government under duress.
Obanikoro stated this while he was testifying before the court as the 12th prosecution witness in the trial of a former governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose.
Fayose and his company, Spotless Investment Limited, are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for alleged N2.2bn fraud.
The EFCC accused Fayose of taking N1.2bn from a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, to prosecute his governorship election.
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He told Justice Chukwujeku Aneke that N1.2bn was deposited into the account of a company, Sylva McNamara, which was used to fund clandestine security operations aimed at preventing terrorists’ activities in Lagos State in two batches.
At the resumed trial, Obanikoro, while being cross-examined by the counsel for the second defendant, Mr Olalekan Ojo, (SAN), told the court that during the investigation of the case, he was invited by the EFCC, grilled and forced to refund N100m or N200m under duress.
Obanikoro, who told the court that after various investigations, the EFCC exonerated him of any wrongdoing, added that he was made to refund between N100m and N200m to the Federal Government under duress.
“I have instructed his lawyers, to write the EFCC for the return of the money he allegedly refunded under duress,” he said.
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The defendants were also alleged to have on June 17, 2014, without going through financial institutions, received $5m from Obanikoro.
However, Fayose denied the allegations.
Obanikoro had, in his earlier testimony, told the court how he transported the cash in an aircraft and delivered it to Fayose in Ekiti State.
