The EFCC and NFIU have reportedly joined in the ongoing probing of some military officers allegedly involved in staging a coup against Nigeria’s democratic process
The anti-graft agencies are expected to join in determining the financial flow of some of the suspected military officers and accused civilians
It was also reported that the probe has been extended to business partners and associates of the suspects
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) have reportedly started working with the military investigators probing the alleged attempted coup with the aim of revealing the financial flows of the accused persons, said to be bankrolling the plot.
This came to the limelight following the indications that the authorities might have frozen the bank accounts of the suspects, as part of the procedures in the investigation.
This is as the federal government and the military warned that Nigerians should not associate the ongoing probe with a military coup. Also, the military had promised to make the result of its investigation public after completion.
According to The Punch, the development could not be independently confirmed because no one was willing to comment on it. However, some security officials have said that such is the standard practice in cases like that.
At the same time, multiple security sources have confirmed the involvement of the NFIU and the EFCC has joined the military investigators for the forensic probe of the bank accounts of the officers and civilians involved in the coup plot against the democratic government of Nigeria.
The forensic investigation to be carried out will be the analysis of the transactions, which include the review of transfers, deposits and withdrawals. This will help in identifying suspicious patterns; identifying funds’ origin, tracking the activity of accounts over time and determining the true owners of the accounts being probed.
It was also learnt that the probe has been extended to cover the associates and business partners of the major suspects. This came after a report emerged that N45 billion was transferred from the Niger Delta Development Commission accounts to some of the suspects.
DIA investigators reportedly interrogated top NDDC officials over the origin, beneficiaries, and usage of the N45 billion in question. The funds were allegedly linked to a shoreline project awarded to a former South-South governor, with portions reportedly transferred to accounts belonging to some of the detained military officers.
Security sources familiar with the probe described the questioning of NDDC executives as “part of a broader intelligence-based inquiry into the movement of public funds.” The development has reportedly triggered widespread anxiety within the NDDC.
