Whistleblower

Peter Obi has been asked to report at the agency's Abuja headquarters on October 27 to face investigators. The former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, whose secret and illegal offshore activities PREMIUM TIMES reported in the ongoing Pandora Papers series, has been summoned for questioning by the EFCC, Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency. It is the first known action by any Nigerian law enforcement agency since PREMIUM TIMES started reporting influential Nigerians involved in offshore shenanigans exposed through the global Pandora Papers investigation. The presidency has directed that Nigerians exposed in the reports be investigated, those with knowledge of the directive…

A former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Saturday, turned himself in for interrogation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). His decision to turn himself in could have been made to avert possible arrest which Premium Times learnt was being planned by the commission. Top EFCC officials, who asked not to be named because they had no permission to speak on the matter, told the newspaper that Mr Kwankwaso arrived at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja before noon on Saturday. “This was after repeated invitations not honoured by him,” one of the sources said. Wilson…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday withdrew its suit seeking the forfeiture of the N20billion bailout funds granted to the Kogi State Government by Sterling Bank. The money was meant for the payment of Kogi State workers, but was alleged to have been, instead, domiciled in an interest yielding account with the bank. Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke granted the order of withdrawal sequel to a motion filed and argued by the counsel to EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN. Mr Pinheiro listed six grounds upon which the judge granted the prayer, adding that “the EFCC is a responsible body”. One…

Three children of Sambo Dasuki, including his teenage sons, kept secret assets in tax havens when he served as National Security Adviser. This was exposed by Pandora Papers, a project led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), and which Premium Times is a part of. According to the investigation, Nigerian multi-billionaire businessman, Leno Adesanya, in 2013 approached a secrecy seller in the British Virgin Islands, Trident Trust Company Limited, to help family members of Dasuki register a shell company, Hydropower Investments Limited. In the documentation submitted for the company’s incorporation, Adesanya indicated that Hydropower Investment was set up…

How Nigerian Senator, Barau Jibrin, cornered multi-million Naira projects for himself, children The Senator representing Kano North Senatorial District, Barau Jibrin, has been fingered in alleged money laundering, budget fraud and unlawful enrichment of his family. The Senator is also accused of using companies registered in the names of his children and cronies for the execution many constituency projects, without regard to due process. These allegations are contained in a petition submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, by the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN. The petition, dated Thursday, October 7 and signed by the NYCN President,…

How Oyetola Bought Tinubu’s London Mansion From Diezani’s Associate Declared Wanted For Fraud Pandora Papers, an investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), has exposed the secrets behind the London mansion of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. PREMIUM TIMES is the only Nigerian newspaper among 150 news organisations that have direct access to a trove of almost 12 million confidential files on the illicit wealth of some of the most powerful persons on earth. In previous reports, PREMIUM TIMES exposed how some influential Nigerians, including former Governor Peter Obi, Senator Stella Oduah, and Governor Atiku Bagudu hid stolen…

Pandora Papers, one of the biggest leaks of financial documents in the world, has uncovered how Senator Stella Oduah secretly acquired mansions in London. According to investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, including more than 600 journalists, some from PREMIUM TIMES, seven London properties are connected to Oduah. One of the properties is said to be in her name, two through her Nigerian-incorporated firm, and four secretly through her Seychelles offshore company. International Trading and Logistics Company Limited (ITCL) was incorporated in Seychelles, a commonly used secrecy and tax haven, with Oduah as the ultimate beneficial owner.…

There is increased pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe one of his key allies, Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu; a PDP chieftain and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi and all Nigerians fingered in the Pandora Papers, the latest leaks of financial documents in the world, THE WHISPERER has learnt. Pandora Papers released this week have exposed the secret wealth and dealings of world leaders, politicians and billionaires including influential Nigerians. Aside from Bagudu and Obi, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, serving and former lawmakers, a pastor and many other high-profile citizens have been mentioned in money…

Hafsat Ganduje, First Lady of Kano State, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). She was arrested based on a petition Abdulazeez, one of her sons, wrote against her. In his petition, Abdulazeez, the governor’s son, had said he was approached by a property developer to facilitate the acquisition of some plots of land in Kano with some hundreds of thousands of US dollars as commission. He said three months later, the property developer discovered that the plots of land he paid for had been allocated to other buyers and he requested for refund. Abdulazeez said…

How Nigeria’s ex-Attorney General Bayo Ojo received $10 million from Malabu largesse Prosecutors in Italy say the payment amounted to a bribe for a role Mr Ojo played in the past. Christopher Bayo Ojo, who between June 2005 and May 2007 was Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, received $10.026 million the infamous Malabu OPL 245 share-outs, a payment investigators said was a “bribe” for his earlier controversial decision to reassign the lucrative oil block to Dan Etete, Nigeria’s former petroleum minister. Mr Ojo in 2006 handed control of the Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245 to Malabu Oil and Gas,…