Recovered $43.4m: Magu is lying, I have not been paid my 5% commission, whistle-blower cries out

The Ikoyi fund whistle blower who blew the whistle that led to the recovery of $43.4m stashed in an apartment in Ikoyi is yet to be paid his 5% commission, Contrary to claims made by the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu who on Thursday stated in Vienna, Austria that the whistle-blower has been paid his 5% commission our correspondent can confirm.

The whistle-blower through his counsel, Yakubu Galadima lamented bitterly that the Commission has abandoned him to his faith, thereby reneging on their earlier promise to provide him with security. 

"The EFCC does not even know the whereabouts of my client. He is presently living from hand to mouth having been abandoned by the commission”.

According to Galadima "We have written to the President and even to Magu himself and we are yet to get any form of response. I even sent Magu an SMS this morning debunking the allegation that my client has been paid, I but as I speak to you, I am yet to get a response from him,"  

To back up his claims Galadima made avalaible to our correspondent letters written to the Office of the President, on the 24th of July and 2017, which reminded the President of the promise to pay the whistle-blower his 5% commission. 

The letter titled: 'Request for Payment of Reward/commission Due to Whistle-blower Who Facilitated The Recovery of Sums of Monies at No 7B Osborne Towers Ikoyi Lagos', was received and duly stamped by the office of the President. 

Speaking further, Galadima lamented that his client came to him in confidence insisting that the said sum was discreetly warehoused and concealed in the apartment. 

"My client provided useful information which led to the recovery of the $43.4m on Wednesday, 12th of April 2017.

"I facilitated a meeting with the EFCC office through one Ahmed Ghali and the money was eventually recovered based on the information my client provided. 

"We had a meeting with the Vice President, Yemi Osibajo where we were reassured that my client would get his commission. 

"But up till now, my client is yet to get anything from EFCC. We were shocked by the news making the rounds that he has been paid. This young man is yet to receive anything from the EFCC, " Galadima lamented.

It would be recalled that Justice Muslim Hassan of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, on the 6th of June 2017 ordered the permanent forfeiture of the said money to the Federal Government. 

Futhermore, Justice Saliu Saidu of the same court on Thursday also ordered the temporary forfeiture to the Federal Government, the apartment where the moneywas recovered.

The anti-graft agency had mentioned that the wife of the sacked Director General (DG) of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, Mrs. Folashade Oke, is the owner of the flat.

The Commission had insisted that it found out that Mrs. Oke made a cash payment of $1.658m for the purchase of the flat between August 25 and September 3, 2015.

The EFCC had further argued that Mrs. Oke allegedly purchased the property in the name of a company, Chobe Ventures Limited, to which she and her son, Master Ayodele Oke Junior, were directors, and of which payment was said to have been made to one Fine and Country Limited.

The anti-graft agency explained that Mrs. Oke made the cash payment in tranches of $700,000, $650,000 and $353,700 to a Bureau de Change company, Sulah Petroleum and Gas Limited, which later converted the sums into N360,000,000 and subsequently paid it to Fine and Country Limited for the purchase of the said property located in Ikoyi.