A serving military officer has been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The officer, Major General Emmanuel Atewe, was taken to court by the agency on Friday, June 3, 2016 alongside three others, including the former Director General of NIMASA, Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi.
The two other persons are Kime Engozu and Josphine Otuaga.
EFCC dragged the suspects before Justice Saliu Saidu of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos on an 11 count charge bordering on conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering.
Major General Atewe, currently serving in TRADOC Minna as Director of Doctrinal and Combat Development, was also a former Guard Brigade Commander at the Presidency as well as Joint Task Force Commander Pulo Shield Port Harcourt.
The Commission disclosed that it received an intelligence report in June 2015 alleging that the management of NIMASA under the leadership of Akpobokelemi made payments aggregating to the tune of N8,537,586,798.58 to Joint Task Force Operation Pulo Shield’s Zenith Bank Account with substantial part of the money diverted and transferred through several individuals and companies who served as proxies.
According to the EFCC, investigations revealed that General Atewe in a grand conspiracy with Akpobokelemi converted about N6,038,350,741 of the initial sum to United States Dollars through various Bureau De Change companies which were handed over to Kime Enzogu and Josephine Otuaga who were business partners to Akpobokelemi and thereafter shared by the defendants.
Part of the money was said discovered to have been used in buying choice properties in Port Harcourt and Abuja as well as acquisition of shares in blue chip companies.
Justice Saidu adjourned the case to June 24, 2016, for commencement of trial.
