EFCC grills pilot for transporting Fayose’s N1.2bn cash

Firstclass Newsline gathered that the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission has quizzed Captain Ahmed Borodo, the pilot whose plane was
allegedly chartered by a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator
Musiliu Obanikoro, to transport N1.219bn to Governor Ayodele Fayose.
The money was alleged to be part of the N4.7bn transferred from the
account of the Office of the National Security Adviser to the bank
account of Sylvan McNamara, a company allegedly owned by Obanikoro's
two sons- Babajide and Gbolahan.
Borodo, who was grilled last week, was quoted as telling detectives
that he flew Obanikoro on June 17, 2014 from Lagos to Akure on an
HS-125 aircraft.
Impeccable sources at the anti-graft agency told Firstclass Newsline
that the pilot admitted that about eight big green tarpaulin or
military bags were loaded onto the plane by Obanikoro's men.
He said at a point, he had to complain to the former minister that the
aircraft was too small and thus could not carry too much weight.
An investigator said, "The pilot told us that on June 17, 2014, he was
instructed by his company around 7am to prepare the aircraft for an
8.30am flight from Lagos to Akure. He was informed that the client was
Obanikoro. He said he along with his colleagues including one Capt.
Olubiyi Famuyiwa got on the plane.
"He said Obanikoro's aides arrived at the tarmac with some bullion
vans and started offloading the contents which were in big green
tarpaulin bags. He informed them that the aircraft could only carry
about eight or nine bags due to its small size.
"The pilot said at that point, Obanikoro intervened and began pleading
with him to allow them load all the bags on the plane but he refused
and then the minister, his ADC and a friend boarded the plane and the
aircraft departed."
Borodo was said to have flown the aircraft to Akure where a bullion
van from Zenith Bank and some soldiers welcomed Obanikoro and received
the money.
Further investigations revealed that Fayose's friend, Abiodun Agbele,
who is currently in the EFCC custody, was among those who received
Obanikoro.
The detective added, "The pilot said on getting to the Akure airport,
some soldiers received them and the bags were offloaded and put into a
bullion van. He noted that the plane returned empty to Lagos.
"He said that the next day, he returned to Akure and then flew
Obanikoro to Abuja with his Aide-de-Camp, Lt. Adewale."
The commission also interrogated the General Manager of the airline,
Mr. Jide West, who told the EFCC that Obanikoro paid $25,200 for both
flights.