The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly arrested the close aide of the Governor Ayo Fayose of the Ekiti state
– Source reveals that Abiodun Agbele was accused of diverting public funds and distributing them to Fayose
– The spokesman of the Ekiti state governor confirmed the arrest, but denied that his boss received any money from the office of the former national security adviser
Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti state
Premium Times has obtained information that Abiodun Agbele, a close aide of Governor Ayodele Fayose was arrested by the operatives of the EFCC in Lagos.
The insiders said that he is currently being detained at the Lagos office of the anti-corruption agency.
The insiders said that he is currently being detained at the Lagos office of the anti-corruption agency.
The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the arrest but did not give further details. “It is true that we arrested some men who were fronting for governor. They are in our Lagos Office. That is all I can say for now,” he said.
At the same time Fayose’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, confirmed the development.
Olayinka said: “Our attention has been drawn to the arrest of Mr Abiodun Agbele by the EFCC and we wish to say that we encourage the EFCC to carry out its investigations without politics as it is being done now.
“It must be pointed out that at no time was Mr Abiodun Agbele invited by the EFCC, and if he had been invited, he would have honoured the invitation. Therefore, there is nothing to celebrate in his arrest if it is not political.
“As already pointed out, Governor Ayodele Fayose does not have anything to do with any fund from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). He has stated how his election was funded and Zenith Bank that he said funded his election has not denied doing so.
“Also, the person said to have been arrested is an adult and will defend himself when the time comes. Subjecting him to media trial as EFCC has been doing since the inception of this government will only give our adversaries momentary sense of joy.
“We await reports of EFCC investigations and we hope that the anti-corruption agency will be civil enough to allow an open and transparent trial in competent court of law and not media trial just to get at Governor Fayose because of his uncompromising stance against the misrule of the APC/Buhari led federal government.
“Whatever stories being circulated by the EFCC and its political allies can at best be regarded as rumour as we were all in Nigeria when Nigerians were told that $700m cash was found in the House of Mrs Diezani Allison Madueke and the story turned out to be lie.
“Finally, like we have maintained, Governor Fayose will remain resolute in making his opinions known on national issues and will not be intimidated.”
Agbele was reportedly arrested for assisting Fayose to handle over N1.219bn during the Ekiti state governorship poll in 2014.
The N1.219bn was said to be part of the N4.7bn that was stolen from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser and put into the bank account of a company belonging to the sons of ex Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.
The EFCC had last Monday frozen the bank accounts of the Ekiti governor in connection with an ongoing investigation.
On his own part, Mr. Fayose, who advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to see himself as a saint, supposed that the president’s wife, Aisha, was fingered in a money laundering scandal during the Olusegun Obasanjo government.
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