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Money Laundering Allegation: Fani-Kayode’s Wife Says EFCC Lied

The wife of Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, Mrs Chikwendu Fani-Kayode, has dismissed allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that her Access Bank account … Continue reading Money Laundering Allegation: Fani-Kayode’s Wife Says EFCC Lied


femi-fani-kayode-precious-chikwendu-EFCC-PDP

femi-fani-kayode-precious-chikwendu-EFCC-PDPThe wife of Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, Mrs Chikwendu Fani-Kayode, has dismissed allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that her Access Bank account was used to launder a said sum of money.

The former Aviation Minister’s wife was purportedly arrested by some EFCC operatives alongside her eight-month-old son, Aragorn on Monday in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital in southwest Nigeria.

Her reaction came after the EFCC said it did not detain the wife of the former Aviation Minister, contradicting reports in the media and the claims of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The PDP had in a statement condemned the action, describing it as “a new low in the Federal Government’s resolve to harass and persecute real and perceived enemies of the Buhari Administration under the guise of an anti-corruption crusade”.

A spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, had earlier cleared the air on the said money laundering.

“The said account, which had a balance of 2,307,712.82 Naira was flagged following investigation into the PDP Joint Trust fund when the Commission traced 1.1 billion Naira to the Zenith Bank account of Fani-Kayode.

“It was discovered that the account had two biometric identification numbers, one for Fani-Kayode and the other for Sonia Chikwendu.

“The same BVN is linked to two other accounts in Diamond Bank and 15 accounts in Guaranty Trust Bank.”

Lie From The Pit Of Hell

Reacting to the EFCC’s report, Mrs Fani-Kayode said all that the anti-graft agency claimed was not true.

A statement by her spokesperson, Chineye Okechukwu, on Tuesday described the allegations as ‘a lie from the pit of hell’.

“The assertion by one Wilson Uwujaren, who is supposed to be the spokesman of the EFCC that Precious Chikwendu’s Access Bank account was used to launder (former President Goodluck) Jonathan campaign funds or funds from the National Security Adviser (NSA)’s office and that approximately 2.4 million Naira balance was found in the said account at the time of her arrest is a lie from the pit of hell.

“The said account was opened in 2005 at Onitsha when Precious Chikwendu was about to start at the University of Calabar.

“At that time it was not known as Access Bank but Intercontinental Bank.

“The account was used by her from 2005 till 2012 when it was abandoned and went dormant.

“It was not utilised or activated again until August 2016 when small deposits of between 200,000 Naira and 500,000 Naira were made into it and the total amount that entered into that account over a period of two months was approximately four million Naira.

“The money was spent on looking after the family, paying staff salaries and to buy groceries.

“Consequently at the time that the account was frozen last Friday, the amount that was left in it was 95,000 Naira.

“She was not notified about the freezing of the account until someone paid 200,000 Naira into it on Saturday.

“The money entered the account, but after that it could not be accessed.

“She decided to stop at the bank on her way out of Ado Ekiti on Monday in order to know what was going on and she was then detained and offered to the police and EFCC, together with her eight-month-old son, Aragorn, for arrest.

“The total amount that was in the account at the time of the arrest was 295,000 Naira which is approximately $600.

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A document Mrs Fani-Kayode’s spokesperson claims is the account’s transaction statement

“This is reflected in the screenshot above together with the relevant dates.

“How Wilson of the EFCC arrived at his figure of 2.3million Naira being in the account at the time of (the) arrest is mind-boggling and absurd.

“It is nothing but a shameless and barefaced lie and he and the organisation that he works for are nothing but pernicious liars.

Lies Of The EFCC

“It is equally absurd to suggest that the said account had anything to do with Jonathan Campaign funds or Dasuki NSA funds, given the fact that the said account was not even active or functional between 2012 right up until August 2016.

“The Presidential campaign took place in 2015 and at that time, the account was dormant.

“At the time that she abandoned and stopped using the account in 2012, Precious Chikwendu had not even met Chief Fani-Kayode.

“The lies of the EFCC on this matter are sickening and they are wicked and sadistic people.

“Wilson’s assertions are just one example of such lies.

“The only reason that Precious Chikwendu’s bank accounts were frozen and she was subjected to such inhuman treatment is because she is married to Chief Femi Fani-Kayode who is a politician and a leading member of the opposition.

“They wanted to punish her and their eight month-old-son, Aragorn, just to hurt and spite Chief Fani-Kayode.

Connection With Public Funds

“Finally let me add this; it is not true that Precious Chikwendu has 17 accounts in GTB, this is another dirty EFCC lie.

“She has one current account with a merged savings account in GTB which was opened in 2012.

“Outside of that, she has a dollar account and a pounds sterling account with the same bank which were all opened on the same day in 2012.

“None of these accounts have any connection whatsoever with public funds or with Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and neither was any GTB BVN linked to his.

“Again on this issue the EFCC lied.

“Neither is it true that the EFCC were not at the bank in Ado Ekiti to arrest her because three of their operatives were actually there manning the bank door with their identity cards pinned to their jackets.

“They were backed by five fully armed policemen in uniform.

“They made it clear to Precious Chikwendu that they had been ordered to bring her to Abuja by road that same evening and that if she could not leave her son in the bank with the manager, he would have to come for the ride too.

“Had it not been for the intervention of Governor Fayose, that is exactly what would have happened and only God knows what they would have been subjected to on the way,” the statement read.