Retired Air Marshal Amosu, Others To Plead Guilty To Corruption, Return N2.8b And 33 Properties

Air Thief Amosun

Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (rtd.);  Air Vice Marshal Jacob Adigun,  former Chief of Accounts and Budgeting of the  Air Force; and Air Commodore Olugbenga Gbadebo,  former Air Force Director of Finance and Budget, are to jointly forfeit  33 properties and also plead guilty to the charges filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to THE PUNCH, these are part of the plea bargain conditions given by the EFCC.

The newspaper also reported that the accused persons have returned over N2.8billion to the Federal Government and have had properties seized from them. A portion of the amounts traced to them was recovered from Adigun’s wife, while Gbadebo has returned N190m.

Negotiations in respect of the plea bargain are said to be in progress, with the accused persons made to understand they will have to lose properties acquired with the N22.8billion they allegedly stole. When contacted,  Rotimi Oyeyipo, the EFCC lawyer handling the case, neither denied nor confirmed the terms of the plea bargain. In a telephone conversation with SaharaReporters, the lawyer said he could not make an official statement yet because the anti-graft agency and the defence counsel have not met since Friday, July 8 when the court adjourned the case.

Some of the properties seized include Capadar Plaza on Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja, with a value of N980m; a residential mansion on Lake Chad Street, Maitama, Abuja, valued at N450million and an executive mansion at Imo River Close,  off Danube Crescent, Maitama, Abuja, valued at N710million. Also seized is a four-unit terrace house on Agadez Street,  off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2 (valued at N720million; a yet-to-be-completed 35-room hotel on Salt Lake Street, Maitama, Abuja; a parcel of land located at Bourdillon Street, Ikoyi, Lagos; a block of 12 service flats located on Agodogba Street, Park View Estate, Ikoyi (valued at N1.8billion); a quarry in Bwari area of Abuja( valued at $694,000);  a house on Adeyemo Alakija Street, GRA Ikeja (valued at  N250m); and a duplex at House 11, Peace Court Estate, GRA Ikeja (valued at  N110m). Similarly confiscated are a N40million property located at NAF Harmony Estate, Asokoro Base, Abuja; a five-bedroomed house at Valley NAF Estate, Port Harcourt (valued at N33million); Solomon Hospital on Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja ( equipment valued a$2.15m); a N95m house on Umaru Dikko Street, Jabi in Abuja; a fish farm worth N10million; a N20million poultry in Lagos; and a school known as Bloomsville International School, Divine Estate, Isheri Olofin, off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

THE PUNCH also reported that two London houses owned by Adigun and Amosu will also be seized.

“A detached house worth £875,000 (N333, 375, 000) at 93b Shirehall Park, London, NW42QU allegedly belonging to Adigun and another house at 50 Tenterden Grove, NW41TH allegedly belonging to Amosu and worth £1m (N381m) are also expected to be forfeited to the Federal Government,”  reported the paper.

The properties, allegedly purchased in 2014, are said to have a current value of N1.2billion.

SR