The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized some mansions said to belong to the embattled governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose.
The properties located in the highbrow areas of Lagos and Abuja were seized as part of investigations into the N1.219bn the governor allegedly received under Goodluck Jonathan from the office of NSA when Sambo Dasuki held sway, through a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.
Fayose also allegedly got some huge kickbacks from the Ekiti State Government contractors.
Investigators told Punch that the seized houses belonging to Fayose were allegedly purchased with stolen funds and the EFCC invoked the Assets Forfeiture clause to seize the properties in line with Sections 28 and 34 of the EFCC Act 2004 and Section 13(1) of the Federal High Court Act, 2004.
The seizure came less than a month after the governor’s three Zenith Bank accounts were frozen by the anti-graft agency.
When Punch visited two of the properties on 32 Yedseram Street and 44 Osun River Crescent, Maitama, Abuja, it observed the inscriptions ‘EFCC, Keep Off’ on the fences.
According to court documents filed by EFCC, the property on Osun River Crescent was bought by Fayose in the name of his London-based sister, Mrs. Moji Ladeji.
The governor reportedly pulled down the structure of one of the Abuja properties and started building a new one. The two properties, which are uncompleted buildings, were said to be worth over N470m.
The properties in Lagos were four duplexes located at Plot 100 Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island. The four duplexes cost $1.3m (N364m) each.
They were allegedly bought through a company, JJ Technical.
The EFCC had in a 10-paragraph counter-affidavit deposed to by Tosin Owobo accused Fayose of using the proceeds of crime to purchase properties.
