Contract Scam: How Bankole’s Trusted Security Aide Sold Him To EFCC!

DETAILS emerged, yesterday, that it was a mobile policeman who was hitherto loyal to the embattled former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, that sold him into the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFFC.

We equally gathered that Bankole would have been in the United Kingdom by now had the police officer who was one of his trusted aide and confidant, refrained from divulging his secret plans to the anti-graft agency.

Despite the fact that the EFCC managed to infiltrate his residence and planted undercover agents to monitor the whereabouts of the former speaker, following his alleged refusal to honour several invitations, it was learnt, however, that it was the mobile police man that revealed his plans to escape from Abuja to the United Kingdom by 7:00 a.m on Monday, June 6.

The officer further told EFCC's undercover operatives that Bankole had already booked his flight ticket via British Airline, even as he promptly squealed, immediately he got wind that the former speaker later rescheduled his departure time till 10 am same day.

Undercover surveillance

One of the operatives of the agency, Mr. Oriogun Folajimi, who was placed on undercover surveillance at both the official residence of the former Speaker at the National Assembly Legislative quarters in Apo and a Guest House located at Asokoro, Abuja, where he was eventually arrested on Sunday, June 5, told Vanguard:  "I quickly forwarded this information to the commission and other members of my team immediately joined me. We made several attempts to arrest him but he repeatedly evaded, seeking to escape."

Giving a graphic detail of how the former Speaker was arrested, Folajimi, through a 32-paragraphed counter-affidavit he deposed to before a Federal High Court in Abuja, averred that "on Wednesday June 1, we were detailed by the complainant to personally invite the accused/applicant to the commission's office for interview with my team."

"In carrying out the instruction, we visited the official residence of the accused located at the National Assembly Legislative quarters in Apo, Abuja, on Thursday, June 2, to invite him, but all members of my team were prevented from seeing him by security men attached to him, on his instruction.

"Because all members of my team were not allowed to see the accused/ applicant, some members of my team left but I was, however, put in undercover surveillance to monitor his movement.

"On Friday June 3, I gathered that the accused has left his Apo official residence for a Guest House located at Asokoro, Abuja, in order to evade our invitation and I promptly informed other members of my team and together we visited the place to personally invite him to the commission's office for interview but were again on his instruction prevented from entering the premises by his security aides on the ground that he will only appear at the commission's office on Monday, June 6.

"Other members of my team left but I was again placed on undercover surveillance of the movement of the accused/ applicant. Around 8 am on Sunday, June 5, while carrying out my undercover assignments at the Guest House, I was informed by a mobile police officer attached to the applicant that the accused had concluded plans to escape from Abuja to United Kingdom by 7:00am on Monday, June 7, flight through Lagos by a British Airline. This flight was later rescheduled for 10 am.

"I quickly forwarded this information to the commission and other members of the team immediately joined me at the accused/applicants Guest House at Asokoro.

"We made several attempts to arrest him but he repeatedly evaded arrest continuously seeking to escape but we finally entered the premises at about 8:00pm the same Sunday and promptly arrested him for interview at our office.

"The accused upon interrogation, refused to respond to all questions put to him by me or any member of my team only seeking ways to escape. My team is equally investigating other allegations of financial impropriety against the accused/ applicant and I know that other charges will be filed against him.

"If granted bail, he may likely not present himself for trial and the accused/applicant, if free, will interfere with other investigations involving him.

"The other petitions against him bothers on fraudulent misappropriation of the sum of N10 billion and N2.4 billion respectively", he added.

Meanwhile, frantic efforts by counsel that represented the embattled former speaker in court on Friday, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, to prod the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo to disclose the identity of the said security aide that allegedly betrayed his  client (Bankole), met brick walls.

Keyamo insisted that section 160 of the Evidence Act and section 41 of the EFCC Act excluded investigative officers and Magistrates from disclosing the source of their information.

It would be recalled that Bankole had raised an alarm over plans by the EFCC to re-arrest him immediately he is released on bail.

In a letter that was forwarded to the Commission by his counsel, Chief Awomolo, Bankole said he heard from competent sources that the EFCC has perfected plans to re-arrest him immediately he is admitted to bail by the court.

Excerpts from the letter reads:  "We were further informed that the Commission's operatives will re-arrest our client immediately he is admitted to bail on the ground that the Commission requires him in respect of investigations of other allegations made against him not related to the charges before the court.

"We wish to bring your notice that the Commission as a public authority should not misuse the statutory power of arrest and detention. Our client has no intention to run away from this country or avoid justice", it read. Bankole is answering to a 16-count criminal charge bothering on corruption.

EFCC had maintained that the former speaker connived with other persons at large, to inflate the costs of several contracts that was awarded by the House in 2008, to the tune of about N894 million, contrary to section 58(4) (a) of the Public Procurement Act No. 14 of 2007 and punishable under section 58(5) of the same Act.

Some of the alleged illicit deals that formed the conduit pipes through which the said monies were pilfered by the accused person, includes the purchase of 400 units of 40-inch Samsung (LNS. 341) television sets, 800 units of Desktop Computers (HP Compaq dc 5700), 100 units of Sharp Digital Copier 5316, 400 units of HP LaserJet 2600N,  among others.

The EFCC equally alleged that he rigged the bid for the purchase of 3 units of Mercedes Benz S_600 cars, 2 units of Range Rover vehicles (without bullet proofs) and 400 units of DSTV systems, by refusing to follow all the procedures prescribed for public procurements in Sections 17 to 56 of the Public Procurement Act No.14 of 2007, leading to a loss of value to the national treasury and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 58(4)(e) of the Public Procurement Act, No.14 of 2007 and punishable under Section 58(5) of the same Act.

Source:
Vanguard