TheCable

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, quizzed Liyel Imoke, former governor of Cross Rivers state, for his alleged involvement in money distributed by Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, during 2015 electioneering.

He was alleged to have collected N500m from Ntufam John Okon, chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River.

According to Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC’s spokesman, the N500m was part of  the $115m Alison-Madueke allegedly lodged in Fidelity Bank Plc.

“Also, a former deputy governor of Edo state, Lucky Imasuen, and a former secretary to the state government of Edo state, Osagie Ize Iyamu, have been interrogated by operatives of the EFCC for collecting the sum of N700m from the $115million fraud,” Wilson said in a statement.

“The money was reportedly collected from Fidelity bank Plc, Mission Road, Benin City branch, in March, 2015.

“Iyamu, a PDP presidential campaign coordinator in the 2015 presidential election, admitted to have collected the money from the bank. He told EFCC’s interrogators that he went to the bank on that fateful day 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.

“Both Imasuen and Iyamu signed for the collection of the money. Investigations by the EFCC 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 on the trail of the politician for the recovery of the money.

“Both Imasuen and Iyamu are still in the EFCC custody and will be charged to court soon.”