By Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Thursday closed down some houses allegedly owned by former Governor Ayodele Fayose in Ekiti State capital city.
The houses include the one located at Fajuyi Park beside the old Mr Biggs in Ado Ekiti which was specifically designed as Civic Centre for event management business
Others are: a two-storey building at Okesa, the building housing the radio station, Peoples Voice 104.1 FM, and two houses located at GRA, all in Ado Ekiti.
The closure came barely one month after the state Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning sealed off a house allegedly linked to Fayose at GRA in the state capital.
The EFCC operatives were said to have stormed the building at about 10.35am to paste the restriction order.
The emblem placed on the palatial mansion painted in white colour reads: “Order from EFCC: This structure is under investigation, keep off”.
The EFCC and Fayose have been a running battle over the claim that the ex-governor benefited from a sum of N2.99 billion from the arms fund allotted to the office of the former National Security Adviser, Col Bello Dasuki (rtd).
Fayose was accused of benefiting from the huge amount to finance his reelection for the governorship seat in 2014.
This led to the freezing of his accounts at Zenith Bank but was unfrozen by the court of law.
However, Fayose has accused the EFCC of sealing houses belonging to innocent people in the state.
He said in a statement signed by his media aide, Lere Olayinka, that he was informing the public ahead of the EFCC’s usual blackmail and media trial.
The statement read: “Just been informed that operatives of the EFCC in collaboration with the APC govt in Ekiti are going about sealing houses of innocent people in the state, under the guise that the houses are linked to me.
“This is another wild goose chase and the usual media campaign against my person.
“It is only in our country that an anti corruption agency will first go about sealing houses before determining the ownership, which can be done so easily by visiting relevant agencies.
“I am therefore informing the public ahead of their usual blackmail and media trial.
“None of the properties in question is owned by me and the records are there for anyone that is interested to see.
“The EFCC is advised to stop going about looking for ways to malign my person just because of their hatred as a result of my uncompromising stands on national issues.
“Even if the commission is being pressured from ‘above’ to persecute Fayose at all cost, it should at least, do its job diligently to save itself from persistent embarrassment.”
