Impounds His International Passport
By Abiola Olawale
It appears the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is deepening its into alleged fraud totaling $35m Brass refinery project said to have been inappropriately diverted and misappropriated during the time of the immediate past Executive Secretary of Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Kesiye Wabote.
This is as reports emerged that the operatives of the EFCC has once arrested Wabote, making it twice in the last two weeks.
The former Secretary of the NCDMB was initially arrested and quizzed by the EFCC on November 13, 2024, and was subsequently left off the hook.
Multiple sources in the EFCC told The New Diplomat that the agency resolved to take Wabote into custody on account of emerging facts and fresh allegations regarding his evident role in the controversial $35million Brass Refinery deal which has never come to fruition till date yet funds were paid to Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.
The managing director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, one Akintoye Adeoye Akindele has been arrested for fraudulent and inappropriate diversion of the said sum of $35million.
A source within EFCC revealed: “Wabote appeared before the commission for further questioning, and we decided to detain him in view of the evidence against him. At this bend, 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.
“When Waribote came for preliminary questioning, we accorded him enough respect. But he went to town with different stories. We will lay all the findings before the public for them to know how the fraud was committed. We don’t engage in braggadocio.”
It would be recalled that EFCC has been investigating Wabote’s role in an alleged misappropriation scandal involving public funds allocated for a refinery and infrastructure project intended to boost local energy capabilities in the Niger Delta region but were allegedly diverted for personal gains and enrichment.
Indeed, Wabote’s detention comes after the CEO of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, Mr Akintoye Adeoye Akindele was arrested over the failed Brass Project for which about $35m was said to have been paid upfront by the NCDMB when Wabote held sway as the Executive Secretary.
Akindele is currently facing charges of alleged money laundering, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds.
As part of the investigation, the EFCC was said to have invited Wabote to provide rich insights into the project and provide more details into the whole procurement process and payments.
Under Wabote’s leadership, the NCDMB reportedly provided counterpart funding of $35 million to support the development of an Energy Infrastructure Park in the Okpoama Community, Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.
According to sources, the project was meant to include a refinery, jetty, gas plant, power plant, data centre, and tank farm designed to process 2,000 barrels of oil per day.
However, checks and on-the-spot assessment and project analytics show that the project was abandoned in December 2020 with very little, preliminary milestone made despite the huge funds already expended by the federal government.
The New Diplomat reports that Wabote’s tenure as NCDMB Executive Secretary began in 2016 and ended in 2023.
