Details of how a former Director of Communications at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Haruna Wando Mohammed, who looted over N200million, forfeited over N1billion, escaped prosecution using late Chief of Staff to President Mohammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari and some powerful persons in government.
Pointblanknews.com recalls that a Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the forfeiture of various sums of money estimated at over N1billion allegedly owned by a government official, Titus Okunrinboye Thompson and Haruna Wando Mohammed.
The court ordered that the money recovered from Wando be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
However, Pointblanknews.com authoritatively gathered that Mohammed used his childhood friend who had risen to become the Chief of Staff in the Presidency, Late Kyari, to pressure the EFCC to jettison the prosecution.
The source added that Kyari, by virtue of his office, invited the then EFCC Boss, Ibrahim Magu, charging him to suppress the case “under the carpet “ and save his friend from prosecution and jail.
According to the source, Magu had protested since the case had already become public knowledge and could not be left unattended.
“The late COS immediately sprang into action, by inviting Magu to his office, and tried to suppress the case, there and then. He tried all he could to prevail on Magu to ‘sweep the case under the carpet’, but Magu, pointed it out to him, that the issue was already in the public domain, at that time, and it was impossible to suppress a case like that. After a long standoff, negotiations and bargain, it was agreed that Magu should accept a kind of PLEA BARGAIN, as the Ambassador has agreed, to forfeit all the monies, he got from the deal to the government and all charges, should be quietly dropped, in return.
“That was how the meeting and the matter ended, and EFCC in turn informed the Judge, that was already on the case of the plea bargain deal, which led to the Judge issuing the orders for the permanent forfeiture of all the monies in Amb. Wando’s account vides order no. FHC/ABJ/CS/694/2019 and the case was closed.” The source revealed.
Pointblanknews.com Investigations show that “On 10th June 2013, RTCOM mysteriously appeared out of the blues and signed the same Contract with ONSA, for the implementation of the FE Project, at the Contract sum of $459,369,500.40.
“A mobilization fee of $183,758,585, was paid to RTCOM on the 29th of May, 2014. On the recommendations of Amb. Wando. Investigations carried out by the EFCC, revealed that, the sum of One Million Dollars($1m), was paid into the ECO BANK account no. 0129640544, belonging to Amb. HM, Wando, in structured periodic cash payments, shortly after, the signing of the contract as a kickback.
“The EFCC, through their investigations, found the sum of N291,367,914.00 in Eco. Bank account no. 0129640537 belonging to Amb. Wando and another USD 287,500.00, in Acc. No.0129640544, also belonging to Amb. Wando.”
All these Monies have been forfeited to the OAGF FGN ASSETS RECOVERY ACCOUNT, as ordered by Justice Folashade Giwa- Ogunbanjo, vide order no. FHC/ABJ/CS/694/2019.
However, a second allegation against Ambassador Wando was not investigated by the EFCC which is the complete renovation and refurbishing of the Directorate of the Communication Office, of ONSA.
Wando, using a privileged position he occupies, now offer selfish advice to the NIA boss for the setting up of a disciplinary committee where he and other friends Amb. Shinkaiye, Amb Phillip Dauda and Amb. Okoye will hold sway and decide the fate of senior directors for personal aggrandizement.
Pointblanknews.com findings also show that this against the relevant Disciplinary Provisions of the NIA establishment Act, a situation that has brought embarrassment to the service.