Umar-Farouk: EFCC arrests contractor over N37billion theft

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a contractor, James Okwete.

The arrest is in connection with the ongoing probe into the N37 billion allegedly laundered by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development under former Minister, Sadiya Umar-Farouk.

Okwete’s arrest coincides with the probe of three other ministers, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari, for graft estimated at N150 billion.

The contractor allegedly transferred N6,746,034,000.00 to Bureau De Change Operators, withdrew N540,000,000.00 in cash, purchased luxury cars with N288,348,600.00, and bought luxury houses in Abuja and Enugu State with N2,195,115,000.00.

Fifty-three companies were allegedly traced to Okwete, who was also said to have used 47 companies to lift Federal Government contracts amounting to N27,423,824,339.86.

He is also linked with 143 bank accounts in 12 commercial banks of which 134 are corporate accounts linked to different companies.

It is gathered that Okwete has made useful statements concerning Umar-Farouk and former directors-general of the ministry.

Meanwhile, there are reports that Umar-Farouk and some former agencies’ directors-general under the ministry might be arrested by EFCC following the details of the financial misappropriation so far revealed to investigators by the contractor.