N2.2b Properties: Civil Society Group Drags Ex-Osun Attorney-General Before EFCC

A Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) has dragged the immediate past Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ajibola Bashiru before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged illegal acquiring of properties worth N2.2billion with public funds while in service

The group who made the allegation known to Naija News, also promised that more revelations about how Aregbesola’saides defrauded the State during their eight years tenure of office would soon be revealed.

The group while explaining insisted that the just ended eight (8) years tenure of Rauf Aregbesola’s administration should be probed, explaining that Aregbesola’s government had milked Osun State dry before leaving office, adding that sum of N375billion debt and over 15months salaries and pensions arrears were left behind by Aregbesola’s administration.

This was contained in a petition letter dated Wednesday, November 28th, 2018 which was signed by the group’s Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman and forwarded to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC through its Ibadan Zonal Head Office on Friday, November 28th, 2018 and the copies were made available to newsmen on Monday.

The Petition Letter titled: “Report of acquiring wealth through illegal means and suspicious corrupt practices against Mr. Ajibola Bashiru, the former Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Integration and immediate past Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. A call for thorough and credible investigation by the EFCC in line with part vii (38)(1) of the miscellaneous provision of EFCC and forensic audit of the Osun State Ministry of Special Duties and Regional Integration under Ajibola Bashiru’s watch”.

According to the Petition Letter, “We are constrained to write this Petition Letter to the authority of your anti-graft body in line with section 15 sub-section 5 and 24 sub-section (1e) of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Freedom of Information Act 2011 and National Human Rights Commission Act 2010(amendment) where Freedom of Speech and Expression are highlighted.

“It is our responsibility as a stakeholder in Nigeria Projects,especially, Osun State ,in the area of waging serious war against menace of corruption in our society and in consonance with the believe of President Muhammadu Buhari that “If we do not kill corruption,corruption will kill Nigeria”. So, we must join hand together to kill corruption in our society in order to save the country from the brick of collapse.

“It is against this background that we are reporting the suspicious alleged illegal accumulation of wealth through identified physical properties in the shore of Osun and Lagos States that worth
N2.2billion belonging to immediate past Osun State Attorney -General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ajibola Bashiru.

“To our dismay, Mr. Bashiru was acquiring these properties in the choice areas of the two States (Osun and Lagos) through Osun public funds. While acquiring these properties through Osun funds, the government he served in just six years where he acquired such gargantuan wealth, were owing the workers and retirees alike to the period of fourteen(14) to seventeen(17) months’ salary and pension arrears with the excuse of no funds in the State government purse
then.

“In the light of the foregoing, we wish to inform your good office,the part of the illegally acquired properties of Mr. Ajibola Bashiru in just six years of Commissionership in Osun State by stealing of public funds entrust in his coffer, as follows; a gigantic Estate at Oroki Estate Extension at the back of popular GMT Hotel, Goke Omigbodun way,Ring Road, Osogbo, gigantic residential building, Adejare Bello Way,Laymus Hotel area,Oke-Fia GRA,Osogbo, gigantic
office Complex at Arubuola Street, beside Ike-oluwa Mosque,Ladsol Pure Water Bus Stop, Ogo Oluwaarea,Osogbo and host of other properties including fleet of Cars which we promised to make more evidences about them available during the invitation by the anti-graft body to endorse all the allegations contained therein in our Petition Letter.

“In addition, the CSCEOS would also like your agency to follow all the Bank Account Transactions of Mr. Ajibola Bashiru through his Bank Verification Number(BVN) registered Phone Number:-08034753343.We also want to crave the indulgence of the anti-graft body to probe all the
Osun funds put in the custody of Ajibola Bashiru illegally during October 20th,2012 Ondo State governorship,2013 Anambra governorship election,2016 Ondo State governorship election and lately September 22nd,2018 governorship election”.

The group therefore demanded that the anti-graft agency should confiscate all the illegally acquired properties through public funds by Mr. Ajibola Bashiru which was listed in the Petition Letter by commencing immediate forensic audit of the Account books of the Ministry of Special Duties and Regional Integration under the watch of Mr. Ajibola Bashiru because they used the Ministry to launder our meager resources to their private purse then.