EFCC quizzes pilot for flying Fayose’s N1.2bn cash

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has quizzed Captain Ahmed Borodo, the pilot whose plane was allegedly chartered by a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, to transport N1.219bn to Governor Ayodele Fayose.

The money was alleged to be part of the N4.7bn transferred from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser to the bank account of Sylvan McNamara, a company allegedly owned by Obanikoro’s two sons- Babajide and Gbolahan.

Borodo, who was grilled last week,  was quoted as telling detectives that he flew Obanikoro on June 17, 2014 from Lagos to Akure on an HS-125 aircraft.

Impeccable sources at the anti-graft agency told The PUNCH that the pilot admitted that about eight big green tarpaulin or military bags were loaded onto the plane by Obanikoro’s men.

He said at a point, he had to complain to the former minister that the aircraft was too small and thus could not carry too much weight.

An investigator said, “The pilot told us that on June 17, 2014, he was instructed by his company around 7am to prepare the aircraft for an 8.30am flight from Lagos to Akure. He was informed that the client was Obanikoro. He said he along with his colleagues including one Capt. Olubiyi Famuyiwa got on the plane.

“He said Obanikoro’s aides arrived at the tarmac with some bullion vans and started offloading the contents which were in big green tarpaulin bags. He informed them that the aircraft could only carry about eight or nine bags due to its small size.

“The pilot said at that point, Obanikoro intervened and began pleading with him to allow them load all the bags on the plane but he refused and then the minister, his ADC and a friend boarded the plane and the aircraft departed.”

Borodo was said to have flown the aircraft to Akure where a bullion van from Zenith Bank and some soldiers welcomed Obanikoro and received the money.

Further investigations revealed that Fayose’s friend, Abiodun Agbele, who is currently in the EFCC custody, was among those who received Obanikoro.

The detective added, “The pilot said on getting to the Akure airport, some soldiers received them and the bags were offloaded and put into a bullion van. He noted that the plane returned empty to Lagos.

“He said that the next day, he returned to Akure and then flew Obanikoro to Abuja with his Aide-de-Camp, Lt. Adewale.”

The commission also interrogated the General Manager of the airline, Mr. Jide West, who told the EFCC that Obanikoro paid $25,200 for both flights.

Some part of lagos state will experience blackout

The Transmission Company of Nigeria, Lagos Region, has announced that many parts of the state will experience blackout between 10am and 1pm today (Monday).

According to the TCN, the affected areas are Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Alagbon, Apapa, Ijora, Surulere, Itire, Oshodi, Mushin; the Nigerian Airforce Base, Shogunle, and their environs.

The company said in a statement on Sunday that the disruption of electricity supply to customers in these locations was a result of the need to carry out an urgent maintenance work on the Akangba 132KV transmission substation.

The Public Relations Officer, TCN, Lagos Region, Mrs. Celestina Osin, said in the statement, “The reason for the planned outage is to enable the MBH Contractor carry out a very important repair work on the Itire 132KV Transmission Line 1 and the Ojo 132KV Transmission Line 2 from which the areas are fed electricity for better service to them.

“During the period the outage will last, the 4X90 MVA power transformers and another 150MVA power transformer will be out of service at the Akangba 132KV substation in order to provide a safe working space for the workers. We promise to restore supply to all the affected areas as soon as the work is concluded.

“We sincerely apologise for the short notice on the outage and regrets inconveniences this will cause all that will be affected.”

Man flees as lover dies in Lagos hotel

The police in Lagos State have launched a manhunt for a man suspected to have murdered his lover at a hotel on Prince Adeyemi Street, Ikotun, Lagos.

It was learnt that the suspect, whose name had yet to be ascertained, had lodged in a room in the hotel – Taola Hotel – with his girlfriend around 9.30pm on Friday.

He was said to have paid for one hour which was supposed to elapse around 10.30pm.

Workers of the facility, however, became worried when it was 12am and the guests did not check out of the hotel.

The manager of the hotel, identified only as Ahmadu, was said to have gone to check the room only to discover that the woman was dead, while the suspect had fled.

Ahmadu reported the case at the Ikotun Police Division, while the remains of the victim were deposited in a morgue.

A resident of the area, Jibola Adesina, said no one could explain how the suspect escaped from the hotel.

He said, “The police came to remove the corpse. No one can say how the man managed to escape from the hotel because it has only one entrance.”

Another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the man had said he wanted to buy something outside the hotel and fled afterwards, adding that the management suspected something was wrong when he did not return.

“I learnt from one of the workers in the hotel that the man came out of the room around 10pm. He said he wanted to buy something outside. He left, but did not return. It was when they waited in vain for his lover to step out that they decided to go into the room. She was found dead,” he said.

A worker of the hotel, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent during a visit to the area on Sunday that the incident “shook everyone”.

He said the lovers had come to have “a nice time”, adding that their details were not collected because they did not have the intention of passing the night.

He said, “It was unfortunate. They just came to spend a short time together. That was why their details were not taken. The case was reported to the police.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said the police were investigating the incident.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command has begun investigations into the sudden death of a hotel worker, identified as Ifunanya Eke.

Our correspondent gathered that Eke was found dead in a room last Tuesday at the Top Suite Hotel and Kitchen on Tunde Odeyemi Street, Ikotun.

The hotel management was said to have reported the case at the Ikotun Police Division.

A police source said only an autopsy would determine the true cause of her death.

He said, “We were called to the incident by the management of the hotel. They said the woman had been working with them for some time and she retired into her room because she was on night duty. By morning, they discovered that she didn’t come out of the room and when the door was opened, they saw that she was dead.”

The PPRO, Badmos, said policemen from the Ikotun division examined and photographed the scene, adding that there were no violent marks on the corpse.

She said, “It is a case of sudden and unnatural death. The woman, Ifunanya Eke, was a worker with Top Suit Hotel and Kitchen. She was allegedly found dead in a room at the hotel where she slept that night.

“A team of police detectives attached to the Ikotun division visited, examined and photographed the scene. There was no trace of violence on her body.”

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