The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, has praised the order of the Federal High court in Lagos concerning three (3) properties that hitherto belonged to Kola Aluko, a known ally of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke, following an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a release issued by CACOL’s Executive Chairman, Mr. Debo Adeniran, and signed by the anti-graft organization’s Coordinator for Media and Publications, Adegboyega Otunuga, the anti-corruption campaign group stated that, “We received the news of the forfeiture order on certain properties that were located in choice areas, both in Lagos and Abuja, owned by Kola Aluko, one of the closest allies to former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke.
“These properties in question were on Plot 3389 and Plot 3390, House 2, Margaret Thatcher Close, Asokoro Cadastral Zone, Abuja as well as Avenue Towers, Plot 1391, Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
“They were reportedly bought for N350mn, USD18mn and USD55mn (Three Hundred and Fifty Million Naira, Eighteen Million American Dollars and Fifty-Five Million Dollars respectively) totaling over Twenty Billion Naira (N20bn) as purchase sum for the properties illicitly acquired altogether.”
CACOL claimed it had, under its former name, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, blown the cover on the illegal acquisition of the properties through illicit funds by writing petitions to the EFCC about six (6) years ago.
This, it said, was after the body received an intelligence report on how Mrs. Allison Diezani was embarking on unethical conduct and secret transfer of production rights in the oil mining leases through various cronies.
“Prominent among the companies used to perpetrate these frauds were KAA and Atlantic Energy Holding Limited, based in the British Virgin Island after receiving humongous and suspicious transfers from its sister companies namely, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited and Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited that were based in Nigeria.
“Through our investigation, we were able to discover that all this manifest corrupt dealings went on for over three years, resulting in siphoning and looting of the country’s scarce resources.
“It is, therefore, relieving, and a huge justifications of our principled stance that grabbed corruption by our public officials, is primarily responsible for the effervescent poverty, suffering and situation of want and helplessness the ordinary Nigerians have been made to confront in their daily existence.
“This is considering the fact that if a snippet of stealing could result into over N20bn (Twenty Billion) being spent on properties, you could then imagine how much has been stacked away by this same element in the course of this condemnable gang-looting of our commonwealth. Little wonders then that our roads are largely not motorable and our public hospitals are without drugs, while poverty walks on all fours in the country.” CACOL lamented.
It added that, “It is so unfortunate or rather very ridiculous and inexplicable that the name Allison Diezani Madueke today, is synonymous with everything that is vile, preposterous and repugnant especially where corruption is concerned.
“After all the opportunities offered her to serve the generality of the people in Nigeria, she simply went ahead to coordinate a corruption ring which intent was to fleece the entire nation and thereby render its economy prostate.
“Her team and tenure while she called the shots as number one in the petroleum sector represents a monumental disaster and great disservice to the entire country.
“While we commend the EFCC Team, led by Ibrahim Magu for their relentless fight against official corruption, we implore the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Liman to, within the stipulated time, issue a final forfeiture order of all the properties and return them to source, the pulse of the Federal Republic of Nigeria while adequate punishments should be meted to serve as a deterrent and a just dessert for evils of corruption and its harbingers.” The body said.
