Officials of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
have formally named Senate
President Bukola Saraki, a former
Managing Director of Heritage Bank,
Robert Mbonu, a firm, Melrose
General Services Limited, the
relationship manager to Mr. Saraki,
Kathleen Erhimu, the deputy Chief of
Staff to Senator Saraki, Gbenga
Peter Makanjuola, as targets of an
investigation into the embezzlement
of as much as N19 billion that accrued
as refunds to state governments that
had made excess payments on loans
obtained from international lenders,
the London and Paris Clubs. Also
named by the EFCC as players in the
huge scandal are Kolawole Shittu, the
supplier of a controversial Range
Rover vehicle to Senator Saraki, as
well as one Obiora Amobi and one
Oladapo Joseph Idowu.
In a report forwarded to the
Presidency and obtained by
SaharaReporters, the EFCC wrote,
“Mr. Robert Mbonu is alleged to have
received the sum of N3.5 billion into
his company's account (Melrose
General Services Limited) from the
[Nigerian Governors’ Forum] through
Account 0005892453 domiciled in
Access Bank.” The report identified
“one Kathleen Erhimu [as] the
Relationship Manager to Dr. Bukola
Saraki's account with Access Bank.”
The elaborate EFCC report
authenticates a series of reports in
which SaharaReporters disclosed that
Mr. Saraki as well as numerous
governors colluded to pocket most of
the billions of naira in refunds. Mr.
Saraki had accused our website of
fabricating the report, claiming that
the EFCC was not investigating him in
relation to the loan refund fraud.
However, the document forwarded to
the Presidency by the EFCC outlined
Mr. Saraki’s deep involvement in the
still unfolding embezzlement saga.
A part of the EFCC document
reported that, at a meeting, Senator
Saraki had “introduced one Joseph
Oladapo Idowu and Gbenga Peter
Makanjuola his deputy chief of staff
to [Ms. Erhimu] and Makanjuola
thereafter introduced Mr. Robert
Mbonu to Ms. Kathleen Erhimu.” The
EFCC told the Presidency that Mr.
Mbonu operated corporate accounts
for Melrose General Services at
Access Bank. The accounts, listed as
0005892453 and 0005653500, were
until December 13, 2016 operated as
business accounts, according to the
EFCC report.
The report further disclosed that
Halima Kyari, the head of “Private
Banking Group” at Access Bank,
“stated in a letter dated December
13, 2016, [that] Mr. Robert Mbonu
requested a transfer of Melrose
General Services Company account
from Business Account to a Private
Banking Group Platform as he was
expecting huge funds into the
account. SaharaReporters learned
that Mr. Mbonu’s move was at the
instance of Senator Saraki who
desired the use of the Melrose
General Services Company account to
warehouse his cut of the funds that
came from the London-Paris Club
refunds.
The EFCC report stated,
“Subsequently, on December 14,
2016, the sum of N3.5 billion was
lodged into Melrose General Services
Company account number
0005892453 domiciled with Access
Bank from the Nigerian Governors
Forum (NGF).”
According to the anti-corruption
agency, Mr. Mbonu subsequently
introduced Mr. Amobi and Mr.
Makanjuola to Access Bank as
representatives of Melrose General
Services Limited. The purpose of the
introduction, the EFCC found, was to
enable the two men to do cash
withdrawals from the account. The
report stated that Mr. Amobi and Mr.
Makanjuola soon made several cash
withdrawals in tranches of N5 million
and N10 million.
The EFCC report stated that Mr.
Mbonu also requested that one
Oluyemi Braithwaite, the owner of
Reinex Bureau de Change,
Caddington Capital Limited and
Westgate Limited, provide dollars in
exchange for the naira-denominated
withdrawals from the erstwhile
Melrose account. Mr. Mbonu, a front
for Senator Saraki, asked Ms.
Braithwaite to hand over the dollars
to one Mr. Gbenga in Abuja.
According to the EFCC, Ms. Oluyemi
Braithwaite sought out one Hassan
Dantani Abubakar, a cousin of former
military head of state, Abdulsalam
Abubakar, to produce the dollars in
exchange for the naira provided by
Mr. Mbonu. Dantani Abubakar’s role
in the saga is significant in
establishing another tie to Senator
Saraki. Mr. Abubakar, who operates a
bureau de change, has had a
longstanding relationship with Mr.
Saraki. In 2015, several members of
the senator’s security detail
conspired to steal N300m that
Dantani Abubakar was moving for
Mr. Saraki. Most of the security
operatives, officers of the
Department of State Security (DSS),
were subsequently arrested when it
was established that they ambushed
the illicit funds being transported to
the senator. The EFCC report stated
that Ms. Braithwaite had, over the
phone, introduced Mr. Mbonu to Mr.
Abubakar. In addition to operating a
bureau de change (BDC), Mr.
Abubakar also owns several
companies, including Hamma
Procurement Limited, Ashrab Nigeria
Limited and Inspire Solar Application.
The EFCC report added that, on
December 16, 2016, Melrose paid the
sum of N246 million into an account,
No. 2030756168, held by Mr.
Abubakar’s company, Hamma
Procurement Limited, at First Bank. In
return, Hamma Procurement
released the sum of $500,000 to one
Mr. Gbenga in Abuja. Mr. Gbenga, an
aide to Mr. Saraki, acknowledged
receipt of the same amount, said the
EFCC.
According to the anti-corruption
agency, “on the 21st December, 2016,
Ms. Oluyemi Braithwaite contacted
Hassan Dantani Abubakar requesting
for another transaction of $370,000.
Melrose General Services Company
transferred the sum of N181m to
Inspire Solar Application. The
$370,000 was handed over to one Mr.
Dapo in Abuja.”
Providing more details of the
intricate maneuvers used by Senator
Saraki to move funds, the EFCC
report noted: “That on the January
4th, 2017, Mbonu through Melrose
General Services Company
transferred the sum of N248, 500,000
to Caddington Capital Limited
belonging to Ms. Oluyemi Braithwaite
who transferred same to Hassan
Dantani Abubakar's FCMB account,
Ashrab Nigeria Limited for the sum of
$500,000. The dollar equivalent was
handed over to Mr. Kolawole Shittu in
Abuja an amount reportedly used to
purchase a bulletproof Range Rover
luxury car recently seized by the
Nigerian Customs.
“That on January 10, 2017, Mr. Robert
Mbonu through Melrose General
Services Company transferred the
sum of N99, 820,000 to Caddington
Capital Limited belonging to Ms.
Oluyemi Braithwaite who transferred
same to Hassan Dantani Abubakar's
FCMB Ashrab Nigeria Limited for the
sum of $200,000. The dollar
equivalent was handed over to Peter
Makanjuola in Abuja.
“That on December 19, 2016 there
was a cash withdrawal of the sum of
N50 million from Melrose General
Services account via [a] cheque by
Gbenga Peter Makanjuola.
“Also, the sum of $1,570,000 was
received by the trio of Mr. Gbenga
Peter Makanjuola, Mr. Kolawole
Shittu and Mr. Oladapo Joseph Idowu
at various times and locations at
Abuja FCT.
“That on the December 26, 2016, Mr.
Robert Mbonu called Mrs. Kathleen
Erhimu of Access Bank requesting her
to source for a customer that would
have the sum of $500,000 in
exchange for the Naira equivalent.
She introduced Mr. Robert Mbonu to
Acarast Commercial Limited and
Capital Field Investment to help him
source for dollars.
“That on the 21st December, 2016,
GCA Energy Limited paid the sum of
$25,000 to Asterio Energy Services
Limited which subsequently
transferred the sum of $23,200 to
Cactus Communication Limited
account with Access Bank.
“The MD of Sought-After
International Synergy Limited, Julius
Okedele, stated that Mr. Kelechi
Edomobi of Acarast Commercial
Enterprises, contacted him and
requested to purchase dollars after
the transfer of N73,950,000 to
Sought-After International Synergy
Limited. Mr. Edomobi gave him the
account number of Cactus
Communication Limited [at] Access
Bank as the nominated account to
receive the dollar equivalent of the
sum of $149,000.
The EFCC remarked that their
investigation revealed that Cactus
Communication Limited “is owned and
operated by Joseph Oladapo Idowu,
an aide to Bukola Saraki.” The
agency further reported “Mr. Kelechi
Edomobi also transferred the sum of
N1m on January 15, 2017 to Joseph
Oladapo Idowu's personal account
number 0001679877 with Access
Bank Plc.
“That Asterio Energy Services
Limited on 21st and 22nd December,
2016 transferred $100,000 and
$85,000 to Bhaskar Devji Jewelers
LLC in Dubai respectively,” noting
that this was “the same company that
Dr. Bukola Saraki repeatedly made
transfers to from his Black Card
Account.”
According to the EFCC, “Cactus
Communication Limited on December
30, 2016 paid the sum of $59,660.67
to Bhaskar Devji Jewelers LLC in
Dubai.” In addition, the agency’s
report disclosed that Asterio Energy
Services Limited had transferred
$46,000, $39,000 and $37,620
respectively to Cactus Communication
Limited on January 20, 30 and 31,
2017.
“Based on the foregoing findings, it is
clear that Robert Mbonu, the
Managing Director of Melrose
General Services Company, and his
company were used to help divert
proceeds of unlawful activities under
the guise of payment for contractual
obligations with the Nigerian
Governors Forum (NGF),” the EFCC
wrote in the report to the Presidency.
The agency’s report added “all
payments received by Melrose
General Services Company from the
NGF have hitherto been diverted
directly via cash withdrawals and
indirectly through transfers by
Gbenga Peter Makanjuola, Kolawole
Shittu and Oladapo Joseph Idowu who
are principal aides of the Senate
President.
“Furthermore, other payments from
Melrose General Services Company
[have] also been linked to companies
that Dr. Bukola Saraki has interest in
and [carries] out transactions with.
This includes the sum of $183,000
which was transferred to Bhaskar
Devji Jewelers, Dubai, a company Dr.
Bukola Saraki had repeatedly made
payments to.”
Added the EFCC: “Also, the sum of
N200 million was transferred to Wasp
Networks Limited that subsequently
transferred the sum of N170 million
to Xtract Energy Services Limited, a
company that routinely made
deposits into Dr. Bukola 's Access
Bank United States Domiciliary
Account.”
In its conclusion, the EFCC stated that
a “prima facie case of conspiracy to
retain the proceeds of unlawful
activities and money laundering
contrary to Sections 15(3) and 18(9)
of the Money Laundering Prohibition
Act 2004 can be established against
the aforementioned suspects.” It
added that its operatives were
investigating the personal accounts of
the
suspects, including Mr. Saraki.
