A coalition of Five civil society organizations and pressure groups including Coalition Against Malpractices and Corruption (COMAC), and the Association of Media Practitioners in Oil and Gas Producing Areas (AMEPROGAS) have called on anti graft agencies to arrest and prosecute the recently sacked Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Mohammed Bello Koko.
The coalition also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest Mr Bello Koko without delay and to resume investigation on the (829,525,858.13) Eight Hundred and Twenty Nine, Million Five Hundred and Twenty Five Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty Eight Naira Fraud allegedly committed by Mr Bello Koko through kickbacks and money laundering activities as detailed in an internal memo of the EFCC dated 16th August, 2021.
Citing the leaked memo of the EFCC, the group disclosed that “the records are clear that Mohammed Bello Koko acted in connivance with one Ali Amin Abubakar being his close associate to register several companies amongst which are M.B.K Business Consults and Cethes Company wherein monies were moved from NPA without proper descriptions. Investigation conducted by EFCC also reveals that Schwarts Construction Company which was awarded contracts by the NPA paid kickbacks to Mohammed Bello Koko.”
“On 27th April, 2015 when Mohammed Bello Koko still held office as Executive Director, Finance and Administration of NPA he paid monies to Devsol Development Limited which is linked to contracts in NPA.”
Addressing the press, Mr Abdulrazak Sani, Youth Advocacy Against Corruption Network (YAACONET) flanked by Mr Femi Adedeji, Coalition Against Malpractices and Corruption (COMAC), Mr Odey Otunu, Association of Media Practitioners in Oil and Gas Producing Areas (AMEPROGAS), Mr. Edwin Nkwede Eastern Youth Coalition For Equity, and Comr. Ikechukwu Ude Combined Interests For Good Governance (CIFOGG), accused Mr Bello Koko of owning and running a multi million Pounds company in the United Kingdom which serves a conduit for money laundering throughout his tenure in office.
The group during a press briefing which held in Abuja, said “Mohammed Bello Koko also floated a company in United Kingdom where he was a Director and left few months after his appointment.
The company is called Circus Properties Limited. The company’s financial assets are currently worth over a Million Pounds.
“We believe the said company is a shell company for laundering stolen funds from NPA to foreign countries and urge our anti-graft agencies to thoroughly investigate its activities.”
The coalition accused, Mr Bello Koko of several financial infractions ranging from gross abuse of office, owning private companies, false declaration of assets, illegal concessioning of seaports and land, use of certain companies to loot monies from the Nigerian Ports Authority to funds layering and round tripping.
The coalition called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consolidate on his renewed thrust for fiscal probity and governance accountability by compelling the EFCC to beam its searchlight on the horrendous financial activities perpetuated by the former Managing Director, Nigeria Ports Authority, Mr Bello Koko.
“We look forward to the kind and swift response of the Presidency as well as all requisite government parastatals including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Crimes Commission (ICPC), the Interpol which we shall furnish with details after this press briefing, in order to avert unnecessary agitations that may degenerate to breakdown of law and order and indeed this breakdown of law and order may happen when corrupt leaders are allowed to go scot free.” The group stated.
