In 2022, several high-profile Nigerian politicians were accused of corruption.

The amount traced to each of these big names, including a serving Accountant-General of the Federation, was up to several billions in some cases.

FIJ spotlights some of the government officials charged with humungous hoarding of public funds in 2022.

ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL

In May, Ahmed Idris, the Accountant-General of the Federation, was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for N80 billion fraud.

The spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed the AGF’s arrest in a statement on May 16, titled “EFCC Arrests Ahmed Idris, Accountant General of the Federation for N80billion Fraud”.

“Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, May 16, 2022, arrested serving Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Ahmed Idris, in connection with diversion of funds and money laundering activities to the tune of N80 billion (Eighty Billion Naira only),” the statement read.

“The commission’s verified intelligence showed that the AGF raked off the funds through bogus consultancies and other illegal activities using proxies, family members and close associates.”

The commission added that “the funds were laundered through real estate investments in Kano and Abuja” and that” Mr. Idris was arrested after failing to honour invitations by the EFCC to respond to issues connected to the fraudulent acts”.

LAGOS ATTORNEY-GENERAL OLASUPO

In August, Olasupo Shasore (SAN), a former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, was charged with an illicit cash transaction of $100,000, which is “not permitted by the law”.

Filing the money laundering case against Shasore, the EFCC said he made a cash payment of $100,000 to Olufolakemi Adelore through Auwalu Habu and Wole Aboderin.

On October 20, Shasore was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of $100,000 before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in the Ikoyi area of Lagos.

Count one reads: “ That you, Olasupo Shasore, SAN, on or about the 18th day of November, 2014, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, induced Olufolakemi Adelore to commit an offence to wit; accepting cash payment of the sum of US100, 000.00, going through a financial institution, which sum exceeded the amount authorized by Law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 78(c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 16(6) of the same act.”

JONAH JANG

Jonah Jang, a former Plateau State Governor, was charged with the misappropriation of N6.3 billion belonging to the state government.

In September, a Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos, delivered its judgment in a suit filed by the EFCC.

The EFCC had in March 2018 prosecuted Jang on a 17-count charge alongside a cashier in the office of the Secretary to the Plateau State Government, Yusuf Pam, for corruption and misappropriation of Plateau funds to the tune of N6.32 billion.

A prosecution witness, Sunday Musa, had revealed to the anti-graft agency that Pam withdrew cash from the accounts of the state government in several millions of naira on the instructions of the governor.

According to a statement released by the commission on May 12, some of the money looted by Jang were illegally used to settle loans obtained from the First City Monument Bank and FCMB for disconcerting purposes, including N80 million for the purchase of a house in Abuja, N100 million for renovation of the property and N100 million for meeting personal needs.

OKOROCHA

On February 22, the EFCC told the Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo that Rochas Okorocha, a former governor of Imo State, having been charged with N2.9 billion fraud, had prevented them from prosecuting him.

The anti-graft agency had in January filed 17 counts against Okorocha that he conspired with others to embezzle N2.9 billion belonging to the public.

The counsel for the EFCC, Cosmos Ugwu, during the proceedings, said, “My Lord, we have made several but unsuccessful attempts to serve the charges on the first defendant Okorocha.

“We urge the court for an adjournment to enable us to serve the first defendant.”

Okorocha, who is the senator representing Imo West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, was absent, while the second defendant, Anyim Chinenye, was in court and was represented by Oba Maduabuchi (SAN).

JULIOUS ABURE’S N40,000,000

Julius Abure, chairman of Labour Party’s he National Working Committee, was accused of diverting over N40,000,000 of the sales of party nomination forms into his private transport company.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abayomi Arabambi, had in a petition addressed to the LP presidential flag bearer, Peter Obi, and the National Executive Committee, stated that Abure had “grossly violated” the party’s constitution by “enriching himself fraudulently”.

“Julius Abure, the National Chairman of Labour Party diverted over N40,000,000 from sales of party nomination forms into his private transport company account with Access Bank PLC as payments,” he said.

“[He was] grossly violating the provisions of the Labour Party constitution 2019 as amended by enriching himself fraudulently and thereafter denied [sic] the candidates tickets after collecting their monies.”

SULE LAMIDO

In September,the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja ruled that a former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, was answerable to the N712 million money laundering charges filed against him.

Meanwhile, two of Lamido’s sons, Aminu and Mustapha, were being prosecuted by the EFCC.

Lamido filed a no-case submission after the anti-graft agency closed its case, stating that the evidence provided by the money laundering charges filed against him were unfounded.

In his ruling however, the judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu, dismissed the no-case submission filed by Lamido and ordered him to open his defence on November 8.

IYORCHIA AYU

On October 14, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike accused the Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, of N1billion theft and bribery.

“Let Ayu say he did not collect N1 billion. In fact, let me also tell you, Ayu collected N100 million naira from a governor that he was going to renovate our democratic institution and then he (Ayu) went back to the PDP NWC and took the same N100 million naira for doing the same work,” Wike said in an open space interview with journalists in Port Harcourt.

He continued: “What kind of system is that? I am telling you all these are facts. Let him (Ayu) say no first and I will tell you (those he collected money from).

“A leader must be a man of integrity. And I have realised that people find it hard to have that (integrity) lately. You are presenting a man (Ayu) who lack integrity as chairman of the party and somebody that wants to lead a campaign to take the reigns of government?”

Ayu, on October 14, however, denied the fraud charges levelled against him by Wike.

He said when a former vice-president, who is now his party’s presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, suggested that the party should take a loan of N1 billion, the national working committee under his leadership said no.

ATUMEYI’s $140,500

Also in October, the Kogi State House of Assembly candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Ismaila Atumeyi, was rounded up with N326 million and $140,500 cash. 

Atumeyi, who was seeking to represent Ankpa 11 Constituency in the Kogi State House of Assembly was arrested on Sunday, October 30, alongside one Joshua Dominic, a fraudster, in a sting operation on Macedonia Street, Queens Estate, Karsana, Gwarinpa, Abuja.

The EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, stated in a statement on November 2 that Atumeyi and two others, Joshua Dominic and Abdulmalik Salau Femi, a former bank employee, were arrested for hacking into the system of a commercial bank and defrauding the institution of over N1.4 billion.

DOYIN OKUPE

The Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Doyin Okupe, was on December 19 sentenced to two years in prison for charges bordering on over N200 million money laundering.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja convicted the former Senior Special Assistant on Media to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan of breaching the Money Laundering Act.

Presiding over the case, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu on Monday found Okupe guilty of contravening sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act and accepting cash in excess of the threshold allowed under the act without going through a financial institution.

Okupe, who had paid a N13 million fine to avoid serving his jail term, resigned as the DG of the LP PCC on December 20.