Alleged Fraud: Arrest, Probe Bello Koko, NPA MD Now – CIBN Tasks EFCC
A Civil Society organisation on the aegis of ‘Citizens Initiative for Better Nigeria (CIBN)’ has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), against Mr. Mohammed Bello Koko, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA), over allegations of fraud, money laundering and gross abuse of office.
The CIBN’s petition dated June 26, 2023 and signed by its Chief Convener, Comrade Kabir Adamu Matazu, alleged that Bello Koko looted the funds of the NPA with which he used to buy choice properties in the United Kingdom.
Bello Koko, who was before his elevation to his present portfolio, served as the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the NPA between 2015 and 2021, following the sack of Hadiza Bala-Usman as the Managing Director of the NPA, is being accused by the CIBN of having used two BVI-incorporated shell companies namely; Coulwood Limited with registration number: 1487897 and Marney Limited with Registration Number: 1487944 to purchase a total of six choice properties in the United Kingdom.
It listed the purchased properties to include; i. 62, Corner Mead, Hendon, (NW9 5RD) purchased on 25th November, 2008.
- Flat 2, Liberty Court, 141, Great North Way, London NW4 1PR purchased on 20th October, 2009.
iii. 37, Redlands Road, Enfield (EN3 5HN) purchased on 16th August, 2011.
- 62, Manton Road, Enfield, London EN3 6XZ purchased on 23rd July, 2012.
- 14, Faraday House, Aurora Gardens, London (SW11 8ED) purchased on 3rd May, 2017.
- 2A Beech Hill, Barnet, Greater London, EN4 0JP on November 06, 2015, at £1,750,000.
The CIBN said that a discreet investigation it carried out revealed that Bello Koko also abused his offices during his tenure as Executive Director, Finance and Administration which was escalated during when he became the acting Managing Director of the NPA by massively amass wealth.
The group noted that granted that the EFCC was believed to have investigated Bello Koko alongside other top politicians in Nigeria following revelations that he operated foreign accounts which he did not declare before the Code of Conduct Bureau when he served as Director of Finance and Administration before becoming Acting Managing Director of NPA, it however said that the outcome of anti-graft agency’s investigation appeared to have been swept under the carpet.
The CIBN’s petition read part:
“We submit that the property described in paragraph (vi) above, a 7-bedroom freehold detached house was ranked as the 11th most expensive property in EN4 0JP, with a valuation of £2,274,000 as at April, 2022.
Granted the EFCC is believed to have investigated Bello Koko alongside other top politicians in Nigeria following revelations that he operated foreign accounts which he did not declare to the Code of Conduct Bureau when he served as Director of Finance and Administration before becoming Acting Managing Director of NPA, the outcome of EFCC investigation appears to have been swept under the carpet”.
“Sometime in 2022, it was reported that Hadiza Bala Usman; then Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority was suspended from office in May 2021 following allegation of non-remittance of about N165 Billion Naira operating surpluses into the Consolidated Revenue Fund Account of the Federation by the NPA. The suspension order approved by President Muhammadu Buhari followed a request for the probe of the accounts of the NPA made by the former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, when he was in office. The Minister subsequently set up an Administrative Panel of Inquiry to investigate the affairs of the NPA, including awards of contracts from 2016 to May 2021”.
“Our investigations further reveal that the N165 Billion operating surpluses could not have been diverted from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation by NPA under the leadership of Hadiza Usman Bala without the knowledge and participation of Bello Koko who was her Director of Finance and Administration at that time. We therefore wonder why Hadiza Usman Bala was hurriedly suspended and later removed from office as MD while Bello Koko received promotion to the position of Acting Managing Director before he was later made substantive MD in August 2022.
“Also, the Pandora Papers of 2021 reveals that Bello Koko and his wife, Agatha Anne Koko enlisted the services of financial secrecy seller, Cook Worldwide and Aleman, Cordero, Galindo and Lee (Alcogal), an offshore Law firm, to register Coulwood Limited (reg. number 1487897) and Marney Limited (Reg. number 1487944) in the British Virgin Island (BVI) one of the world’s most commonly used tax havens in 2018.
“Bello Koko was at the time of incorporation of the two companies stated above holding Public Office but permitted himself to be used as Director of the two companies in gross violation of Sections 5 and 6 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act as well as the 7th Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“Bello Koko, again in contravention of the Nigeria Single Treasury Account (TSA) Policy operates multiple bank accounts for and on behalf of the NPA. These accounts are used to receive Millions of Dollars annually looted under his leadership. We are aware that the EFCC carried out financial profiling of Bello Koko in August 2021 and found out that the NPA MD worked with an associate, Ali Amin Abubakar and had benefited from awards of contracts totaling N1,107,654,133 from the Rivers State Government and others.
“It is our contention that the corrupt and fraudulent activities of Bello Koko have contributed to the severe economic hardship now suffered by Millions of Nigerians as monies meant to be deployed or utilized in critical areas of our national life were looted and stashed away by Bello Koko and his cronies.
“The more reason why Bello Koko should be brought to book unfailingly by the EFCC is that he spearheaded the funding of the Presidential Campaign of his godfather and former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi. After lavishing millions of Naira on Amaechi’s failed bid, Bello Koko again went ahead to use taxpayers’ money to fund the campaign of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who was the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on the instructions of Amaechi.
The CIBN therefore tasked the EFCC to act swiftly before the cases hanging on the neck of Bello Koko at the Special Fraud Office (SFO), National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) all in the United Kingdom are reopened.
It explained that this is to ensure that Bello Koko’s properties acquired with proceeds of crime are confiscated and forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria and therefore gave the EFCC a five-day ultimatum within which to arrest Bello Koko and commence his prosecution, waring that in the event that its demand is treated with levity, its members would embark on mass protests at strategic locations within Abuja.
It further said; “The protest will be aimed at briefing the local and international communities on the effort the CIBN has so far made to contribute to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and exposed how the EFCC deliberately frustrated it by treating Bello Koko as a sacred cow”
