The Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) yesterday arraigned three Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials for allegedly receiving bribes from former Petroleum Minister Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke to compromise results of the 2015 general election.
Christian Nwosu, Yisa Adedoyin and Tijani Bashir were arraigned before Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
They allegedly collected N264.88 million on March 27, 2015 from the minister ahead of the election.
Nwosu pleaded guilty to the charge and was convicted for receiving N30 million bribe.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke was named in the charge.
Prosecution counsel Rotimi Oyedepo said Nwosu opted for a plea bargain.
The EFCC lawyer said Nwosu refunded N5 million and surrendered the title document of a landed property he bought for N25 million in Delta State.
According to him, EFCC acted on an intelligence report that Mrs. Alison-Madueke stashed $115 million in a bank, with an oral instruction that the money should be converted to naira.
The former minister was said to have directed that part of the money should be given to certain INEC officials.
Oyedepo said N30 million was traced to Nwosu, who hid it in a Hilux van in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, following which the suspect was invited to the EFCC, where he confessed.
He tendered Nwosu’s confessional statement and a document with which Nwosu acknowledged receipt of the N30 million.
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