ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in Port- Harcourt, Rivers State, on Wednesday grilled the former Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Liyel Imoke, for his alleged involvement in the N500m collected by the state’s chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Ntufam John Okon.
The money was said the be from the $115m purportedly lodged by the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison- Madueke, with Fidelity Bank for the 2015 electioneering campaign.
Imoke, according to the EFCC Operatives, arrived the Port- Harcourt’s office of the EFCC, by 10:15am on Wednesday, and is answering questions being posed to him by EFCC operatives.
Also arrested Wednesday , is the former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Imasuen and former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of the state, Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu, who are undergoing interrogation for collecting N700m from the same Diezani fund.
According to the sources, N700m was reportedly collected from the Mission Road branch of Fidelity Bank Plc, in Benin- City in March 2015.
They claimed that Iyamu, who was the PDP’s presidential campaign coordinator in the 2015 presidential election, admitted collecting the money from the bank.
He was said to have told EFCC interrogators that he went to the bank with Imasuen and a former House of Representatives member representing Edo Central, Tony Azeigbemi (who is yet to be arrested by the EFCC) and the money was handed over to them by an official of the bank.
According to the commission, both Imasuen and Iyamu signed for the collection of the money.
Investigations by the EFCC further showed that the two politicians conveyed the money from the bank in a bullion van to the residence of a top politician in Edo State.
The commission is said to be on the trail of the politician for the recovery of the money.
“Both Imasuen and Iyamu are in the custody of the EFCC and would be charged to court soon,” the source stated.
