Ayodele Fayose and Spotless Investment Limited
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented its 14th prosecution witness, Sahibu Salisu, a former Director of Administration and Finance in the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), in the ongoing trial of former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, and his company, Spotless Investment Limited. The trial, presided over by Justice Chukujekwu Aneke, is taking place at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The EFCC, through its Lagos Zonal Command, had re-arraigned Fayose and Spotless Investment Limited on July 2, 2019, on an 11-count charge of money laundering and theft amounting to N6.9bn. This re-arraignment followed their initial arraignment on October 22, 2018, before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun.
On Friday, July 19, 2024, Salisu recounted to the court his role in disbursing funds totaling N200 million and N2 billion to Sylvan MacNamara, a company, for security purposes as instructed by former NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd). Salisu, who served as the Director of Administration and Finance from 2011 to 2015, elaborated on the payment processes within the NSA office. "Once the NSA gave approval for payment, we processed it accordingly. The payments we made were mainly for operational activities," he stated.
During his testimony, Salisu explained the responsibilities of the NSA office, emphasizing its role in ensuring national security. He noted that all security expenditures required proper retirement. When presented with Exhibit S, a payment voucher for N200 million to Sylvan MacNamara, he confirmed raising the mandate based on the NSA's instructions and stated that the payments were intended for physical security infrastructure.
Salisu detailed the payment process, indicating that he would sign as signatory B and then obtain the NSA's final signature before processing the payment through the Central Bank of Nigeria. He acknowledged that both he and the NSA signed Exhibit S and mentioned that, despite the expectation of financial retirement upon completion of the funded projects, he was unsure whether the funds had been retired before leaving office.
Exhibit S1, another payment voucher for N2 billion dated June 13, 2014, was also discussed. Salisu confirmed that the payment to Sylvan MacNamara was executed on the NSA's instruction. However, he clarified that as he was not a signatory to the account, he could not confirm whether the funds were retired.
Under cross-examination by Ola Olanipekun, SAN, counsel to the first defendant, Salisu reiterated that all NSA office payments were processed through the bank and required a raised mandate. He disclosed that the NSA never explicitly informed him that the N200 million and N2 billion payments were for security purposes, nor did the NSA express concerns about these payments.
The trial continues as the EFCC works to establish its case against Fayose and Spotless Investment Limited, with more witnesses expected to testify in the coming sessions.
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