EFCC freezes ex-minister daughter's bank account over N1.2bn transaction

Shalewa was said to have instructed Fidelity Bank to transfer N800 million from the account to another account within the bank.

The Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly frozen a bank account owned by Shalewa Obanikoro, the daughter of former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, who is under investigation for alleged corruption.

The EFCC was said to have traced about N1.2 billion to the account. According to Punch, Shalewa instructed Fidelity Bank to transfer N800 million from the account to another account within the bank.

“We have frozen an account in which Obanikoro’s daughter is a signatory. She specifically mandated the bank to transfer N800m from the account to another account," an EFCC investigator told the newspaper.

“We discovered that money was paid into the account at various times. The money came in N50m, N20m, N30m and various sums.

“She said the money was for oil and gas transactions. So, we have frozen the account as investigations continue. We want to know where the funds came from. At least N1.2bn has passed through the account.”

Shalewa had been interrogated by the EFCC last week, and her passport seized to prevent her from travelling out of the country.

“We seized her passport because we were told that she was planning on travelling soon. We had to prevent her from travelling since she is part of the investigation,” the source said.

Shalewa's transactions was said to have been discovered when the anti-graft agency was investigating the N4.7 billion allegedly paid into the account of Obanikoro’s two sons – Babajide and Gbolahan.

The EFCC said the money was paid into the Diamond Bank of Sylvan McNamara, and shared among Obanikoro, the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose; and the former deputy governor of Osun State, Iyiola Omisore.

The agency has also seized a house belonging to Obanikoro’s two sons in Ikoyi, Lagos. But the young men have in the last 14 months remained in the US.