The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recovered N84million from the immediate past Director of Finance and Budget of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore O. O. Gbadebo.
A reliable source in the EFCC disclosed that investigations revealed that the money was diverted from the account of the Air Force, without even awarding any contract, real or fake.
The source said the money was part of the money budgeted for the procurement of weapons.
Last week, the commission seized houses belonging to Gbadebo; the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.); and the Chief of Accounts and Budgeting of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal J.B. Adigun, all worth about N5bn.
The source revealed that after sealing off the houses, the EFCC continued to trace the money with a view to recovering all the looted money.
Speaking with Punch, the source added, “After we sealed some properties last week, we continued to grill the three officers. Gbadebo finally confessed to diverting N84m into his company account. The money was swiftly recovered.
“We have also seized a large fish processing company belonging to Adigun. He also manufactures fish feeds, which he sells to end users.”
The source said the report that just $1m was recovered from Amosu’s Badagry home was not correct.
He said what was discovered about $117,000 and that it was a safe and not a suck away.
The source added, “There have been reports that $1m was recovered from a soak away in Amosu’s Badagry home. This is not true. The actual amount recovered was about $117,000 (over N30billion) and it was kept in a safe in the house and not in a soak away. The money is currently in our exhibit room. We also recovered N200,000 in cash from the house.”
Explaining the modus operandi of the suspects, the EFCC detective explained that the suspects usually used their wives to carry out the shady deals.
He said before transferring money, the Air Force officers would use third parties to set up companies and bank accounts, to which their wives would be signatories.
It was learnt that the military officers would then make phantom transactions and transfer money into the bank accounts of the companies while their wives would take possession of the sums.
“Amosu’s wife, Omolara, was arrested when she came to see her husband in detention. She cooperated with us and we have also recovered money from the company. Adigun’s wife, Helen, also did the same. They have both been released,” the source stated.
About 11 Air Force officers are currently under investigation by the commission.
The source said Adigun had been released by the EFCC but did not say whether the NAF chief was released on bail or if he had returned all the money to the anti-graft agency.
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