…Confiscates traveling documents
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, seized the traveling passport and detained a former Executive Secretary, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board, (NCDMB), Timber Kesiye Wabote, for alleged $35 million Brass Project fraud.
This is the second time in two weeks, that Wabote has been detained. His residence in Abuja was also reportedly searched by operatives of the commission.
A source within the EFCC said: “Wabote appeared before the Commission for further questioning, and we decided to detain him in view of the evidence against him. At this juncture, it has also become necessary to seize his passport and other travelling documents pending the conclusion of investigations. Our operatives also searched his residence, in line with Standard Operating Procedure”.
Recall that Wabote was picked up following the arrest of the Managing Director of Atlantic Int’l Refinery and Petrochemical Ltd, Akintoye Adeoye Akindele for alleged misappropriation, money laundering and diversion of $35 million public funds.
According to investigation by the commission, Akindele, who was the promoter of the Energy Infrastructure Park financed by the NCDMB in Okpoama Community in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, initially mooted the idea of the project to the Board. It was gathered that the NCDMB embraced it with a counterpart funding to the tune of $35 million.
Wabote was the Executive Secretary of NCDMB at that time. He was the Executive Secretary of NCDMB between 2016 and 2023.
A brief on the investigation reads: “Preliminary investigations showed that Wabote’s NCDMB financed 17 different projects, including 2,000 barrels per day (bpd) Refinery, Jetty, Gas Plant, Power Plant, Data Centre and Tank Farm at Brass Free-Trade-Zone (FTZ) Okpoama Community, in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State”.
“Since December 2020, when the payments were made, Akindele allegedly abandoned the project with little or nothing to show for the huge sum paid to him”.
