News Thumb Magazine ..news reporting..
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, returned to the Lagos office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in continuation of the interrogation on corruption allegations against him.
Obasa is being interrogated by the anti-graft agency for embezzling funds running into millions of naira belonging to the state Assembly.
The Speaker’s grilling started on Thursday when he honoured an invitation from the EFCC.
He was released on bail late Thursday night after which he convened an emergency sitting of the Lagos Assembly to disguise status of his bail.
Obasa quietly returned to the EFCC’s office after the emergency sitting of the Assembly on Friday.
To avoid answering questions surrounding his corrupt act, Obasa feigned sickness during interrogation at the EFCC’s office, a source confirmed.
“Obasa became weak when confronted with a deluge of his illicit properties and money laundering evidence by the team led by an officer from the South-Eastern part of the country, contrary to his earlier claims of no association with the properties.
“He became weak after hours of grilling by the vigilant and dogged staff of the EFCC.
“To escape sleeping at the EFCC office overnight and the effect of the weight of evidence on his shoulder, Obasa claimed to be innocent.
“He was then taken to the sickbay of the EFCC on the directive of the Zonal Head, for immediate treatment and was subsequently released on bail,” the source said.
Obasa bought some of those properties; estate in Ikorodu, besides Lagos State polytechnic campus and an expanse of land in Ifako-Ijaye among many others in the name of his business fronts.
These fronts earlier invited by the commission had made confessional statements implicating and exposing Obasa’s ownership of the properties.
Also we gathered that some forces at the Chief of Staff Office of Buhari stampeded the EFCC to grant Obasa administrative bail on Thursday.
Obasa will be returning to the office of the anti-graft agency for the continuation of the interrogation on Monday.
Remember sometime ago we gather from reliable source that EFCC obtained a court order granting the temporary forfeiture of three bank accounts belonging to Obasa.
The bank accounts are to be frozen pending an investigation by the EFCC.
The three bank accounts frozen are domiciled in Standard Chartered Bank under the name Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa.
In obtaining the ex-parte order, the EFCC said that the bank accounts were being investigated for conspiracy, diversion of funds, abuse of office and money laundering.
Remember there are series of publications detailed the sleaze involving Obasa, members of his family and cronies whom he awarded questionable contracts on behalf of the state Assembly and, who in turn served as agents of his numerous corrupt dealings.
Obasa operated over 60 bank accounts and engaged in the award of contracts to his personal companies and those of his cronies through which he defrauded the state Assembly to the tune of several millions of naira.
Recall that civil society organisations in Lagos have on several occasions demanded the investigation of Obasa by anti-graft agencies.
In June, a coalition of civil society organizations staged protests at the EFCC office in Ikoyi; demanding investigations into allegations of corruption at the Lagos State House of Assembly.
