Iyabo Obasanjo is at large - EFCC


The EFCC told a court that the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, was at large.

An official of the EFCC said this during the arraignment of a former Minister of Health, Prof. Adenike Grange, and ex-Minister of State for Health, Mr. Gabriel Aduku, in connection with the N300m scam in the Federal Ministry of Health.

There were 56 charges in the charge sheet, two of which were not read in the open court as they were in respect of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Mrs. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello.

Mrs. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello was also not listed among the suspects.

The senate has also asked Senator Obasanjo-Bello to explain the circumstances surrounding her involvement of the committee on heath which she headed in the sharing of the N300 million unspent vote of the ministry of Health in the 2007 budget.

The Senate Committee had admitted receiving N10 million-support from the Ministry of Health to fund a retreat in Ghana on the National Health Bill.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Information said the Senate had demanded explanation from Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello and other members of the Committee that attended the Ghana retreat.

He said “When the Senate gets the explanation, I shall come back to brief you. We will also take the necessary steps. But I can assure you that from what we have so far when it is has not been unusual for Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs) to facilitate the work of committees that oversee them.”

“When they sent that money, they never told them that it was from an illegal source, that it was the money that the Presidency told them to return but they did not return."

"The information we have so far (from the Committee is) that the source of that money was not disclosed to them at the time it was remitted to them and we are trying to take care of that by making sure we provide adequately for all the committees in the 2008 budget."

“When they tell you that the budget of the National assembly is up a bit beyond what it was last year, there is an explanation for that; we want to make sure that every committee that has an assignment to do will have no reason to say we could not do the work because we were waiting for facilitation because we would have provided enough resources”,


http://ngex.com/news/public/newsinfo.php?nid=6194

She's been declared wanted in the United state as well. . . . . .

Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, the first daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is wanted in the U.S. for child kidnapping as well as delinquency in court-mandated child support fees.

According to court documents obtained by Saharareporters, Senator Obasanjo-Bello was declared wanted by U.S. District Court Judge Charles T.L. Anderson for kidnapping and stowing away her son after another court had awarded custody to her estranged husband.

Court documents show that Iyabo Obasanjo and Mr. Akeem Bello were married in September 1999, a few months after her father was elected and sworn-in as Nigeria's president. Going by court records obtained by our correspondent, the marriage did not last beyond 2003.

Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello was a plaintiff in a divorce case heard by Alonzo B. Coleman Jnr of the State of Carolina General Court of Justice, District Court Division. Filed on May 19, 2003, the case had file number 03 CVD 384.

In the course of the hearings, her former husband, Mr. Akeem Bello, prayed that the court award him custody of their only child, Jimi Bello, who was born on January 1, 2000 in Chatham County, North Carolina. The court subsequently granted him custody.

However, on July 27, 2004, Iyabo “kidnapped” Jimi Bello from Akeem Bello’s home in Pittsboro and fled to Nigeria with the child. After a series of failed efforts to get Ms. Obasanjo-Bello to return the child to the rightful custody of his father, Mr. Akeem Bello, District Court Judge Charles T.L. Anderson ruled on May 9, 2005 that she was in contempt of the court.

Read More here!!!!

She's surely a cat with nine lives. Who knows? she may be chilling in the UK now.

just file a warrant with interpol. she has to be caught by all means. how does a Federal Senator abandon her constituency without anyone knowing

how does a Federal Senator abandon her constituency without anyone knownign

Thats Nigeria's style bro!!

This is indeed a cock and bull story to the lovely people of Nigeria that Iyabo Obasanjo has disappeared by the toothless bulldog called EFCC. They only came up with this cramp to shield her from justice. She can run but she cannot hide long cos she and her father will surely go down.

I don't think she left. press need to stop spreading and spoiling peoples name. She has not been convicted either.

I don't think she left.  press need to stop spreading and spoiling peoples name.  She has not been convicted either.

Are you Iyabo under an alias? What other proof do you need to convict that bandit?

What other prove do you need to convict that bandit?

Thank goodness you're not a judge.

[center] I’m Not On The Run — Iyabo Obasanjo[/center]

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20080410211280



Embattled Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello on Wednesday dismissed the claim of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that she was on the run.


She said that the EFCC had never invited her for the purpose of arraignment in court, adding that she was ready to make herself available in court to defend any charge preferred against her.

Obasanjo-Bello stated this in a letter to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Alhaji Ibrahim Lamorde, against the backdrop of media reports that she was on the run.

The EFCC, while arraigning a former Minister of Health, Prof. Adenike Grange, and her deputy, Mr. Gabriel Aduku in court over the N300m scam in the Ministry of Health, said that the senator was at large.

Also charged were the suspended Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Prof. Simeon Ogandi; and the Director of Administration, Dr. E.H. Oyedepo. Others were Hanafi Mohammed, Donald Ekanem, Donatus Inyang, Olomo J.A, Obanla E. Olatunbosun, Henry Onyeagwalam and Edem A. Bassey.

But Obasanjo-Bello, through his lawyer, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN), in the letter, said at the time of the arraignment of other suspects in court, she was in the Senate chambers, performing her duties as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

She maintained that she was completely ignorant of the arraignment and only learnt of it from media reports shortly afterwards.

She, however, did not say whether she could have been in the court for the case if she was informed.

In the letter, entitled “Re: Threat by EFCC to declare Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello wanted/a fugitive,” she also claimed that she had always honoured every invitation extended to her to appear before “your operatives to answer questions posed to her in respect of her knowledge of the substance of the allegations made in the above criminal matter.”

She also told Lamorde that it was because of her respect for the commission that made her to inform it that she would travel to Cuba, a trip that was ultimately postponed.

However, the former military governor of Kaduna State and social critic, retired Col. Abubakar Umar has warned against visiting the alleged sins of the immediate past President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on his daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello.

Umar stressed that Obasanjo should be made to personally account for the alleged mismanagement of the nation‘s resources under his government as well as his other alleged misdeeds while in power.

Meanwhile, the Senate has given Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello and members of the Senate Committee on Health, a clean bill of health over allegations of involvement in the N300m scam in the Federal Ministry of Health.

This decision was taken at an executive session of the Senate held on Wednesday.

While briefing journalists on the decision, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Ayogu Eze said the Senate accepted explanations advanced by the committee on what happened.

He said, “In this case we have reviewed what the committee on health did, we are completely satisfied that they did not over reach themselves, we are completely satisfied that they did not do anything unprofessional. We have found out that they have done no wrong.”

So I am glad she is coming out to disclaim this stupid media propaganda. I wonder when the Nigerian press will be held accountable to honesty and integrity in their nefarious stories?

I read Iyabo was cleared of any wrong doing by the senate and yet she is already convicted in the court of public opinion because of all the false image the press is portraying of her.

Are we not in a democratic government where everyone is innocent until proven guilty?

iyabo is wrong, she is still on the run. there's a warrant for her in the US

I read Iyabo was cleared of any wrong doing by the senate and yet she is already convicted in the court of public opinion because of all the false image the press is portraying of her.

how do u know the image is false, are u a member of the EFCC.

democazzzzzy democrazzzzzzzzzy ni. propaganda ke? she took the money and went to ghana is that the propaiyabo? a rogue cleared by other rogues. why must nigerians go to ghana for a retreat? is there no money in the senate for them to use? they said they didnt go ask for the money. didnt they understand that the ministry needed money to fund a bottomless health service. what did they learn in the retreat that could not have been learnt talking to mama sikira and hawa in nigeria.

they are all silly people jare

@ mamajama
Just been curious, is it the Job of the senate to vindicate Iyabo, i thought the court is the one in charge of the case. pls shed more light on this

Member of the senate are entitled to have a hearing on any misappropriation of funds, was how was ETTEH forced to resigned? was she ever indicted in any court of law?

By Seun,
Thank goodness you're not a judge.

I thank God too because all of them would've been at Alagbon under jungle justice 101. I don't need any proof to throw them in jail.