Senator Nenadi Usman has been quizzed by the
EFCC for her alleged role in the N23bn
($115m) allegedly shared by ex-minister of
petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Senator Nenadi Usman grilled by the EFCC.
The commission is said to have traced the
payment of N1.85bn to two former governors
and three senators from the Diezani funds
including Usman who was director of finance of
According to the EFCC, Usman was quizzed at
the Gombe zonal office on August 1, 2016,
over the billions of naira that was shared in all
the states across the North-East through her
for the re-election of former President
Jonathan.
Usman was quoted as telling the EFCC during
interrogation that she met Diezani shortly before
the election and the ex-minister gave her a
paper containing a specific amount of money to
be given to each states of the federation and
directed her as the director of finance to
contact and send all the representatives of
every state to go to a certain new generation
bank and collect the campaign slush funds so
as to deliver victory for the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) across the country.
The anti-graft agency added: “The former DG,
Nenadi, told the zonal office of the commission
that Bauchi state got N500m through Senator
Babayo Garba; Gombe state got N450m through
Senator Saidu Kumo; Adamawa state got
N450m through former governor James Ngilari
while Taraba state collected the same N450m
through the former acting governor of the state,
Sani Danladi; and Senator Joel Ikenya.
“Usman admitted to the EFCC that she did not
know the source of the funds as she claimed
that Diezani collected the paper that contained
the details of the amount but said she had
reported to the head office of the EFCC in
Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Gombe zonal offices of
the commission to clarify how the multi-billion
naira campaign bribe money was shared to the
bigwigs of the PDP across the country.”
Usman has since been granted administrative
bail by the Gombe zonal office of the
commission pending the full investigation of
the matter.
All attempts to speak with Usman proved
abortive as calls placed to her phone were
rejected while a text message was not
responded to as of press time.
Apart from the fresh scandal, the EFCC had
last month arraigned Usman and a former
Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode,
on 17 counts of unlawful retention, unlawful use
and unlawful payment of money to the tune of
N4.9bn.
Usman, as the director of Jonathan’s campaign
finances, allegedly received over N4bn from the
imprest account of the Office of the National
Security Adviser under the leadership of the
then NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
Authorities of the anti-graft commission said
out of the money, the director of publicity of
the organisation, Fani-Kayode, received N840m
on February 19, 2015.
The detectives said a former Secretary to the
government of the federation and the national
chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Chief
Olu Falae, received N100m through a company,
Marreco Limited, where he is Chairman.
The money was credited into the company’s
account on March 25, 2014.
A former Governor of Imo state, Achike
Udenwa, and a former minister of state for
foreign affairs, Viola Onwuliri, according to the
documents, got N350m in two tranches.
The first tranche of N150m was paid into their
joint account on January 13, 2015. The second
tranche of N200m was credited into their
account shortly the first.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has
been accused of using the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a tool
to oppress the opposition.
The PDP berated the president over the arrest
of Senator Iyiola Omisore on Sunday, July 3.
Its spokesman, Prince Diran Odeyemi said the
development was a “witch-hunt”, wondering
why the federal government was “shielding”
members of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) from prosecution.
Odeyemi said Buhari was keen on silencing the
opposition, adding that his anti-corruption fight
“would continue to be a ruse, in-as-much-as
many corrupt people within the ruling party,
APC are not exposed and prosecuted”.
Senator Nenadi Usman has been quizzed by the
EFCC for her alleged role in the N23bn
($115m) allegedly shared by ex-minister of
petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Senator Nenadi Usman grilled by the EFCC.
The commission is said to have traced the
payment of N1.85bn to two former governors
and three senators from the Diezani funds
including Usman who was director of finance of
According to the EFCC, Usman was quizzed at
the Gombe zonal office on August 1, 2016,
over the billions of naira that was shared in all
the states across the North-East through her
for the re-election of former President
Jonathan.
Usman was quoted as telling the EFCC during
interrogation that she met Diezani shortly before
the election and the ex-minister gave her a
paper containing a specific amount of money to
be given to each states of the federation and
directed her as the director of finance to
contact and send all the representatives of
every state to go to a certain new generation
bank and collect the campaign slush funds so
as to deliver victory for the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) across the country.
The anti-graft agency added: “The former DG,
Nenadi, told the zonal office of the commission
that Bauchi state got N500m through Senator
Babayo Garba; Gombe state got N450m through
Senator Saidu Kumo; Adamawa state got
N450m through former governor James Ngilari
while Taraba state collected the same N450m
through the former acting governor of the state,
Sani Danladi; and Senator Joel Ikenya.
“Usman admitted to the EFCC that she did not
know the source of the funds as she claimed
that Diezani collected the paper that contained
the details of the amount but said she had
reported to the head office of the EFCC in
Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Gombe zonal offices of
the commission to clarify how the multi-billion
naira campaign bribe money was shared to the
bigwigs of the PDP across the country.”
Usman has since been granted administrative
bail by the Gombe zonal office of the
commission pending the full investigation of
the matter.
All attempts to speak with Usman proved
abortive as calls placed to her phone were
rejected while a text message was not
responded to as of press time.
Apart from the fresh scandal, the EFCC had
last month arraigned Usman and a former
Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode,
on 17 counts of unlawful retention, unlawful use
and unlawful payment of money to the tune of
N4.9bn.
Usman, as the director of Jonathan’s campaign
finances, allegedly received over N4bn from the
imprest account of the Office of the National
Security Adviser under the leadership of the
then NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
Authorities of the anti-graft commission said
out of the money, the director of publicity of
the organisation, Fani-Kayode, received N840m
on February 19, 2015.
The detectives said a former Secretary to the
government of the federation and the national
chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Chief
Olu Falae, received N100m through a company,
Marreco Limited, where he is Chairman.
The money was credited into the company’s
account on March 25, 2014.
A former Governor of Imo state, Achike
Udenwa, and a former minister of state for
foreign affairs, Viola Onwuliri, according to the
documents, got N350m in two tranches.
The first tranche of N150m was paid into their
joint account on January 13, 2015. The second
tranche of N200m was credited into their
account shortly the first.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has
been accused of using the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a tool
to oppress the opposition.
The PDP berated the president over the arrest
of Senator Iyiola Omisore on Sunday, July 3.
Its spokesman, Prince Diran Odeyemi said the
development was a “witch-hunt”, wondering
why the federal government was “shielding”
members of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) from prosecution.
Odeyemi said Buhari was keen on silencing the
opposition, adding that his anti-corruption fight
“would continue to be a ruse, in-as-much-as
many corrupt people within the ruling party,
APC are not exposed and prosecuted”.