Court Freezes Lagos Assembly Speaker Obasa’s Accounts Over Fraud
The three accounts domiciled in Standard Chartered Bank and the funds placed in them are to be temporarily frozen pending the conclusion of the investigation and possible prosecution of the allegations of fraud made against the Speaker.
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Thursday ordered the interim freezing of three bank accounts belonging to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa.
The three accounts domiciled in Standard Chartered Bank and the funds placed in them are to be temporarily frozen pending the conclusion of the investigation and possible prosecution of the allegations of fraud made against the Speaker.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo made the order pursuant to a motion ex-parte filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC which is investigating the Speaker for offenses of conspiracy, diversion of funds, abuse of office and money laundering.
The EFCC said it filed the matter “Pursuant to section 44 (2) (K) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and section 26, 29, and 34 (1) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004.
After reading the affidavit evidence made by an EFCC investigator, Muhammed Abubakar, and listening to the submissions of the EFCC Counsel Ibrahim Suleiman, the court granted the order on September 15, 2020.
Meanwhile, the Speaker is said to have honored the EFCC’s investigation today to answer questions on the allegations made against him.
Obasa, who is a stooge of ex-Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu, arrived at EFCC’s office at about 10:00am on Thursday.
Recall that SaharaReporters had in series of reports detailed how Obasa had engaged in looting of public funds since he became Speaker of the Assembly.
The online news publication revealed how he operated over 64 bank accounts using different names to steal public funds.
To conceal his identity, the Speaker changed his name and date of birth in some of the accounts.
Aside from using Ajayi Mudashiru Obasa, he also used Obasa Abdulrahman Gbadunola and Gabriel Adedoyin Savage to register some of the bank accounts. The online newspaper also exposed how Obasa awarded contracts to himself using different companies owned by him and how he got the Assembly to approve N258m for the printing of invitation cards for the inauguration of lawmakers two months after the event held.
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