A captain identified as, Ahmed Borodo has disclosed how he flew the former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro and eight green military bags of cash allegedly containing N1.219bn from Lagos to Akure airport.
He stated the cash were handed over to an aide of the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, Abiodun Agbele.
Borodo made the disclosure while being questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last week.
The captain allegedly flew the former Minister alongside the cash from Lagos to Akure airport on June 17, 2014 on an HS-125 aircraft during the build up to the 2014 governorship election in the state.
The anti-graft agency had claimed that the alleged money was 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 in which Obanikoro’s sons were signatory to.
Borodo who was stated to have flown the aircraft with the former Minister and the alleged cash on board, arrived the Akure airport where a bullion van from Zenith Bank, some soldiers and Agbele were waiting to recieve them, Punch reports.
The report quoted an investigator as saying, “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 stated he along with his colleagues including one Capt. Olubiyi Famuyiwa got on the plane.
“He stated 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 stated 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.
“The pilot stated 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 stated that the next day, he returned to Akure and then flew Obanikoro to Abuja with his Aide-de-Camp, Lt. Adewale.”