The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reignited a significant legal battle by reopening money laundering cases against 13 former governors and several ex-ministers amounting to N853.8bn.
List of those allegedly being investigated
Among those implicated are former Ekiti State governors, Kayode Fayemi and Ayo Fayose; Bello Matawalle, the current Minister of Defence; Enugu State’s past leaders, Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime; Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa State; and Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State. Additional figures include Peter Odili, Theodore Orji, Danjuma Goje, Aliyu Wamako, Timipre Sylva, and Sule Lamido.
Matawalle, presently serving in President Bola Tinubu’s administration, faces allegations of N70bn money laundering. Fayemi, who transitioned from the cabinet of former President Muhammadu Buhari to a governorship bid, is being investigated for an alleged N4bn fraud. Fayose, a two-term governor, is under scrutiny for an alleged N6.9bn fraud.
Nnamani faces accusations of an alleged N5.3bn fraud, Chime is probed over an alleged N450m campaign fraud, and Adamu is under investigation for an alleged N15bn fraud.
The scope widens with Kwankwaso’s alleged non-remittance of N10bn pension funds, Orji facing accusations of N551bn money laundering, and Odili under investigation for an alleged N100bn fraud.
The case of Peter Odili adds a layer of complexity due to a perpetual injunction obtained in 2008, restraining the EFCC and other security agencies.
The status of this injunction, yet to be vacated, raises questions about the approach the commission will take in Odili’s probe.
The EFCC’s investigations extend beyond former governors, involving figures like Diezani Alison-Madueke, probed for several alleged money laundering cases.
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