
The Federal Government has converted the N1.1 billion mansion seized from the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, following his corruption trial, into a government office.
The building, located in the highbrow Maitama area of the Federal Capital Territory, is being used as office for the Theophilus Danjuma-headed Presidential Committee on the North-East Intervention.
The report has it that the warning, ‘EFCC, Keep Off!’ which was written in red ink on the fence, had been wiped off. But another uncompleted building seized from Badeh, which is located directly opposite the one converted by the government, still has the EFCC inscription on its fence.
PUNCH reported that workers were seen clearing the grass and sweeping the compound when the newspaper’s correspondent visited the place, while inside the main building, it was noticed that the rooms had been converted into offices and desks set up at strategic positions.
One of the workers at the premises was quoted as saying: “The property was given to us by the government to work. I know that the EFCC seized the property some months ago but it was given to us to work.”
The report added that the decision to convert Badeh’s property may not be unconnected to the plan by government to convert seized properties to government use in order to save cost, as was disclosed by minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun during a meeting with members of the National Steering Committee of the Efficiency Unit in June this year.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is prosecuting Badeh alongside a firm, Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, on 10 counts of money laundering bordering on alleged fraudulent removal of about N3.97bn from the Nigerian Air Force account.