Alleged N13.6bn Diversion: Court Freezes Ex-COAS Minimah’s Accounts

The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission has accused a former Chief of
Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah (retd.),
and a company, Stoke Synergy Nigeria
Limited, of diverting about N13.6bn
belonging to the Nigeria Army.

The total sum of N13,650,795,245 was
allegedly diverted by the two suspects into
the accounts of four other companies given
by the EFCC as Gogori Bureau De Change, My
Honey Oil Interbiz Limited, Gogori University
Link Limited and M&M Babies Nigeria
Limited.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole of a Federal High
Court in Abuja, upon an ex parte application
by the anti-graft agency, had, on June 30,
2017, ordered the freezing of Minimah’s
account with the United Bank of Africa Plc
and Stoke Synergy Nigeria Limited’s with
Zenith Bank Plc.
The court’s order, according to the judge,
will last for 90 days from June 30, when the
ruling was delivered, but subject to renewal
through an application by the EFCC.
With the time lag, the court’s order will
expire on September 28, 2017.
Justice Kolawole, in the ruling, a copy which
was sighted by one of Punch
correspondents on Sunday, ordered the
freezing of the two accounts “to aid the
applicant (EFCC) in being able to conduct a
thorough investigation into the financial
dealings and transactions”.
A detective with the EFCC, Osas Azonabor,
had supplied the facts of the case which
formed the six grounds on which the
commission’s lawyer, Mr. Andrew Akoja,
based the two prayers, contained in the ex
parte application on.
The six grounds reproduced by Justice
Kolawole, in his ruling, summarised how the
sum of N13.6bn from the Nigerian Army’s
account with part of the proceeds allegedly
ending up in Minimah’s account.
The grounds of the application as
reproduced in the court’s ruling stated, “The
case being investigated by the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission relates to
one of money laundering in the sum of
N13,650,795,245.00 (thirteen billion, six
hundred and fifty million, seven hundred
and ninety-five thousand, two hundred and
fifty-five naira) from funds of the Nigerian
Army to companies: Gogori Bureau De
Change, My Honey Oil Interbiz Limited,
Gogori University Link Limited and M&M
Babies Nigeria Limited.
“On the instruction of one Col. Odi,
N94,476,500.00 was transferred into
Nigerian Army Welfare Ltd./Ojo Land First
Bank account number 2027107951,
belonging to the Nigerian Army, using the
name of Lt.-Gen. K. T. J. Minimah and one
Peach Energy Multiservice Limited, out of
which the amount, N52,855,000.00, was
transferred to Gen K. T. J. Minimah’s USA
account number 1003674184.
”Also from the Nigerian Army Welfare Ltd./
Ojo Land account, the sum of
N3,717,436,636.00 was transferred to the
various accounts belonging to Honey Oil
Interbiz Limited with Sterling Bank (account
number 28457168), Zenith Bank (account
number 1013961012) and Fidelity Bank
(account No. 5080105828) on various
occasions.
“Honey Oil Interbiz Limited, in turn,
transferred N800m to Stoke Synergy
Limited’s Zenith account number
1014195674. The said sums were
transferred to accounts No.1 (Minimah’s
account) and 2 (Stoke Synergy Nigeria
Limited’s account) of the Schedule hereto
now being sought to be frozen.

No Result