Obasa is being interrogated by the anti-graft agency for embezzling funds running into millions of naira belonging to the state Assembly.
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.
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.
He was said to have 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
to SaharaReporters.
“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 sick.
“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.
Inside source confirmed that
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.
It
was also 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.
Earlier, the 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.
SaharaReporters had in
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.
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