· By Abiodun
Badejo Several Politicians have been investigated and
charged with Financial crimes by Nigerian law
enforcement agencies only to be set free by an
oftentimes compromised Nigerian Judicial System.
Unlike Ibori whose new address is Her Majesty’s
Prisons, these sacred cows are presently occupying top government positions or eying
them. Most of them were governors who ended their
tenure in 2007 after looting the treasury of their
respective states. DSP ALAMEISEIGHYA Most prominent is the former Governor of
Bayelsa State, Diepriye Alamieyeseigha who was
arrested on January 15, 2005 on money
laundering charges by the London Metropolitan
Police but fled the country, reportedly disguised
as a woman. He was impeached by the Bayelsa State Assembly and his deputy, Goodluck
Jonathan became governor. Alameiseighya did
not have a single home anywhere in highbrow
Lagos until he became governor. He bought a
Maybach (the ultra-luxury vehicle seized from
Ibori), choice houses in Lagos, Abuja, London and Beverly Hills (for his daughter) with the
commonwealth of the people of Bayelsa. The Nigerian Judicial system let him off the hook
and he is careful not to set foot in the UK. He is now an esteemed statesman who advises
President Goodluck Jonathan. JOLLY NYAME Also, the erstwhile Governor of Taraba state, Jolly
Nyame was also accused by the EFCC of
defrauding his state of over N1.7billion. Nyame was a three-term governor of the state,
having first ruled between 1991 and 1993,
before securing another two terms from 1999 to
2007. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and his
counsel moved an application for his bail on the
grounds that the offenses were bailable in law.
He was ordered remanded in prison custody by
the court. The judge said that considering all the evidence
before the court, there is a prima facie case
against the
former governor, adding that the offence relating
to corruption attracts 14 years jail term and can
therefore pass for a case that is serious in law. Now, Nyame is an ACN leader in Taraba after
defecting from PDP to the party. He contested for
the senatorial seat under the ACN platform with
PDP candidate, Aisha Alhassan, a woman who
eventually won the poll. IGBINEDION LUCKY Another governor on the trial list was the former
governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, is
the only former governor, who paid back money
into state coffers through a plea bargain. He faced
a 191-count charge of embezzling N4.3 billion. A Federal High Court, Enugu had found him guilty
and he immediately refunded the N 3 million, a
crumb compared to the loaves he embezzled. The case was determined on January 23, 2008.
The EFCC, last February appealed the judgment,
urging for stiffer sanctions. This time, Igbinedion will face a N25 billion fraud
trials at the Federal High Court in Benin, in what
some observers said was motivated to curtail his
political activities. The EFCC in April 2011 sealed off two choice
mansions of the former governor. The two
properties are those on No. 7 Justice Fatai
Williams Street, Asokoro Abuja and No. 5 Danube
Crescent, Maitama Abuja. The exercise was
carried out on the heels of a forfeiture order granted the EFCC on Tuesday, March 1, 2011, by a
Federal High Court in Lagos. The court, presided over by Justice Mohammed
Idris, authorised EFCC to seize 11 choice
properties spread over Benin, Lagos, Abuja and
London, traced to the former governor Now, Igbinedion calls South Africa home, where
he has a palatial mansion and it is rumored his
son drives a purple Rolls Royce Phantom. SAMINU TURAKI In July 2011, the EFCC re-arraigned Saminu
Ibrahim Turaki over a N36 billion fraud before a
Federal High Court in Dutse on a 32-count fraud
charge. Samimu Turaki, the former governor of Jigawa
state who had dumped the ANPP for the PDP
before the expiration of his tenure and later
dumped the PDP for the ACN when he sought a
return ticket to the Senate which he lost. Some of the charges included N12 billion
withdrawn from the state government treasury
for financing former President Olusegun
Obasanjo’s third term mission. After reading the 32-count charge, Turaki, who
appeared in the court in person, pleaded not
guilty to all the charges. His lawyer, Mr. Mahmud
Abubakar Magaji, prayed the court to grant bail
to his client. After several arguments by his lawyer and EFCC
counsel, the judge, Justice Shehu Yahaya, granted
the accused bail based on the conditions granted
by the previous judges. In July 2011, the EFCC re-arraigned Saminu
Ibrahim Turaki over a N36 billion fraud before a
Federal High Court in Dutse on a 32-count fraud
charge. ORJI KALU The former Governor of Abia, Uzor Kalu and the
founder of the Progressive People’s Alliance
(PPA), who in April 2011 lost his bid to represent
Abia North Senatorial District in the Senate, is
accused by the EFCC of embezzling a N59
billion. The EFCC is worried that since 2007 when Kalu
was arrested and arraigned, the case had been
experiencing long adjournments at the instance
of the trial court. The former governor is standing trial over alleged
stealing of N59 billion (equivalent of US$460.9
million), and as a result was arraigned on 107-
count charge by the anti-graft agency. His trial was stalled due to several appeals in
which he wanted the court to quash the charges.
His appeals all failed both at the Court of Appeal
and the Supreme Court, and since then he was
returned to the trial court to face criminal charges
before Justice Adamu Bello of an Abuja Federal high Court. The case came up on October 11, 2011 after a
long adjournment from May 2011, but because
judges
were holding their annual conference at Sokoto,
the matter was adjourned to March 8, 2012 Kalu left PDP when he shown is interest to
contest for the Presidential seat and form PPA
where
he produced the present governor Theodore Orji
who happened to be his Chief of Staff. Theodore Orji played a fast game on his political
godfather by decamping to PDP without properly
informing his political benefactor. Thus he ensured that Kalu lost the senatorial seat
under PPA. Kalu is relaxing in a big mansion in
Maryland, USA. AYODELE FAYOSE Ayodele Fayose, the former Governor of Ekiti
State was also apprehended by the EFCC on
December 17, 2007. Fayose was impeached by
the Ekiti House of Assembly in 2006 over an
alleged financial mismanagement. His House in Ibadan was sealed by the anti-graft
commission on September 30 2010. He accused
the former Ekiti State governor, Segun Oni of
using his office and as a member of PDP to
instruct the EFCC to seal his house. He left PDP in 2010 and joined the Labour Party
[LP] where he contested for the senatorial seat in
the last April general election. Fayose after losing
the poll is now back in PDP again where
indication emerged that he may likely contest for
the governorship ticket under PDP. OLABODE GEORGE Though, he was never been a civilian governor,
but he ruled some states during the military
regime. The PDP Chieftain threatened court action over a
newspaper allegation that an N85 billion scam
was uncovered in the Nigerian Ports Authority
(NPA) while he was chairman of the NPA board.
He described the allegation as senseless, baseless
and thoughtless. He was indicted by the EFCC when it was headed
by Nuhu Ribadu on charges of fraud at the NPA.
However, he was widely rumoured to have been
shielded from prosecution by former President
Olusegun Obasanjo. In August 2008, the EFCC under its new head
Farida Waziri arrested Olabode George in Lagos
and arraigned him and four others on a 163
count-charge of conspiracy, disobedience to
lawful order, abuse of office and alleged illegal
award of contracts worth N84 billion while he was chairman of the NPA. After the trial had
started, the EFCC reduced the charge to 63 counts.
In October 2009, Bode George was found guilty
and sentenced to jail for 30 months. Back from the prison, the PDP chieftain in Lagos
state activeness in politics has remain doubting.
Some supporters of the PDP and opposition
parties believed that George is no more relevant
in Nigeria politics. HASSAN LAWAL A former Minister for works, Hassan Lawal is still
under trial over alleged N50billion fraud by the
EFCC. Lawal who was minister under late President
regime, Umaru Yar’adua decamped from PDP
after he was dropped by President Goodluck
Jonathan after the death of Yar’adua and pitched
his tent with the Congress of Progressive Change
[CPC]. Already, the EFCC has charged the suspect to
court. ALAO-AKALA Coming from the South West region is the former
Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala. He
was arraigned by the EFCC on 11 count charge
for awarding contracts without budget provision
by defrauding the state N11billion. He has been granted bailed and whilst Nigerians
are waiting for the next action to be taken by the
EFCC on
Alao-Akala, his family seems to think all is well.
His son Ola recently purchased a house in Lekki
Phase 1 where he parks a BMW X6 and a Range Rover. GBENGA DANIEL Gbenga Daniel, the former governor of Ogun
State, has been re-arraigned this week by the
EFCC over the alleged N58billion he looted after
being set free by the Federal High Court in
Abeokuta. Daniel was alleged to have converted the state
fund to his own pocket by using the state
treasury to by properties. IBRAHIM BABANGIDA Reportedly, Babangida is in a league of his own
when it comes to looting. The $12 billion oil
windfall he alleged pilfered could have brought
the people of the North out of poverty and
illiteracy. In fact we may not be talking of Boko
Haram if the former military leader hadn’t been the father of modern corruption in Nigeria.