The Lagos State government, led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over illicit $13 million traced to socialite and businesswoman Aisha Achimugu, PREMIUM TIMES confirmed on Wednesday from officials familiar with the case.
It was gathered that the EFCC began scrutinising the Lagos State Government’s connection to the funds after investigators discovered that part of the funds was sourced from contractors working for or providing services to the Lagos State Government.
“The facts about the origin of the funds are already public in court documents, but the full details of how a large chunk of the money was sourced from some contractors offering services to Lagos State Government’, the identities of the contractors and the possible involvement of the governor and other government officials have not been disclosed in order not to jeopardise ongoing investigations,” a source told PREMIUM TIMES on the condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak publicly on the case.
On Wednesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered a permanent forfeiture of the $13 million to the Nigerian government, citing its fraudulent origin.
Later on Wednesday, PREMIUM TIMES made unsuccessful attempts to get the comment of the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, and the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, on the disclosure in the suit tracing part of the suspicious funds to the state’s contractors and EFCC’s investigations into the governor regarding the finances.
Neither of the two officials returned our reporter’s phone calls or responded to text or WhatsApp messages.
It remained unclear how the alleged scheme was executed. However, investigators say it remains curious that the contractors paid large sums to Ms Achimugu’s company without any valid business relationship with the firm or its owner.
It is also unclear whether Mr Sanwo-Olu is aware of or participated in the alleged scheme, or whether he is merely being investigated because he leads the administration under which the payments occurred.
