EFCC Goes Hard; Seizes 29 Properties from Three Ex-Air Force Chiefs

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confiscated 29 properties from the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu; a former Chief of Accounts and Budgeting in NAF, Air Vice Marshal Jacob Adigun (rtd.); and a former Director of Finance and Budget, Air Commodore Olugbenga Gbadebo (rtd.).

It was gathered that 11 properties were seized from Amosu, 12 seized from Adigun and six from Gbadebo.

According to Punch, the siezed properties included three plazas, six mansions, a quarry, a hospital, a block of flats, animal farms, a school, two hotels, some uncompleted buildings and some parcels of land.

The report said those properties were acquired mostly in 2014.

The properties seized from Adigun were said to be worth N9.6bn.

Some of the properties include a shopping plaza known as Capadar Plaza on Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, which is worth N980m; a residential mansion on Lake Chad Street, Maitama, Abuja, worth N450m; an executive mansion in Imo River Close, Off Dandube Crescent, Maitama, worth N710m and a four-unit terrace on Agadez Street, Off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2, worth N720m.

Other properties, said to belong to Adigun, include a 35-room uncompleted hotel on Salt Lake Street, Maitama, Abuja; a parcel of land located on Bourdillon Street, Ikoyi, Lagos; a block of 12 service flats, located on Agodogba Street, Park View Estate, Ikoyi, said to be worth N1.8bn and a quarry in Bwari area of Abuja worth about $694,000.

A source hinted that, “Adigun spent most of his own share of the money on properties and so we did not recover much cash from him. Amosu, however, returned over N2.3bn and raised two bank drafts.”

He added that some of the properties seized from Amosu included a house on Adeyemo Alakija Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, worth N250m; a duplex at House 11, Peace Court Estate, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, worth N110m; a N40m property located at NAF Harmony Estate, Asokoro Base and a five-bedroomed house at Valley NAF Estate, Port Harcourt, worth N33m.

Others include a hospital on Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja, known as St. Solomon Hospital with equipment worth $2.15m and a N95m house on Umaru Dikko Street, Jabi, Abuja.

The properties seized from Gbadebo include a fish farm worth N10m; a N20m poultry, located at Musa Close, Oyibo Ayobu, Lagos and a school known as Bloomsville International School, Divine Estate, Isheri-Olofin , off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The three suspects will be arraigned by the anti-graft agency this week.

The retired military officers were accused of diverting public funds to the tune of N21,467,674,707.43 in 2014.

Others charged alongside the accused persons are Delfina Oil and Gas Limited, McCallan Oil and Gas Limited, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Limited, Trapezites BDC, Funds and Pricey Limited, Degree Oil and Gas Limited, Timsegg Investment Limited and Solomon Healthcare Limited.