Crime
Halliburton: Four Ex-heads Of State, 89 Other Nigerians Were Alleged
Fresh facts emerged yesterday that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may soon bring prominent Nigerians implicated in the $180m Halliburton bribe to justice. Despite the payment of fines by some companies.
About four former Heads of State and 89 prominent Nigerians were allegedly linked with the scandal.
In all, 76 prominent Nigerians are listed in the five notebooks submitted by the Halliburton Group to the EFCC.
There were indications yesterday that the anti-graft agency may quiz some of those listed.
A former Minister of Petroleum Resources has admitted collecting inducement from the bribery agent, Jeffrey Tesler/TSKJ.
It was learnt that about $2.5million was paid into the ex-minister’s account in Switzerland in 1998.
A top source in EFCC said: “We are looking into all aspects of the Halliburton scandal, including the bribe takers. This latest probe of the scandal is comprehensive.”
According to a document obtained by our correspondent, those implicated in the Halliburton Notebooks are: Four ex-Heads of State; two former Chiefs of General Staff, two ex-First Ladies; ex-CBN Governor; three former Military Governors/ Administrators; a former Deputy Governor of CBN, 11 former ministers(including two ex-Ministers of Petroleum Resources); two retired permanent secretaries and three ex-NNPC GMDs.
Others are ex-secretaries to the Government of the Federation; a former civilian governor in the South-East; a former Ambassador to Italy, an ex-envoy to Brazil, three ex-NNPC secretaries, a former Chief Security Officer to a former Head of State; former MD, NLNG/Shell; former Chief of Army Staff; a former Field Commandant of ECOMOG in Liberia; ex-MD of NAFCON; and more than 13 former NNPC top shots.
However, some of the ex-Heads of State were claiming that they received gifts and not bribes, sources said.
The report said in part: Following the submission made by Halliburton Group of Companies a 500-page document in five notebooks on 2nd September, 2004 which was allegedly found in the archives of the London Office of KBR by Halliburton’s Attorneys investigating this matter, a thorough examination of the said notebooks was done.
“Although the information contained in these Notebooks are not specific in terms of amount allegedly collected by named Nigerian officials from officials of TSKJ as an inducement for favours in the award of contract, it shed light on this scam and confirmed the existence of some sort of inducements shared by both officials of TSKJ and Nigerian Government who were in position to influence the award of the contract.
“A former Minister was a key player in this scam and had already admitted to collecting money as inducement from Jeffrey Tesler/TSKJ to the investigating magistrate in Paris.
“That the agreement between Tri-Star Investment Ltd/Jeffrey Tesler/TSKJ for the executions of the alleged bribery scandal making way for TSKJ as favoured contractor for the award of the building and expansion of NLNG was signed and sealed on 22nd March 1995.
“The mandate of Tri-Star Investments was among others to secure the award of the building and expansion project on negotiated basis as opposed to participating in a competitive bidding process. It was also to assist in maintaining of favourable relationships with the client and any other government authorities;
“Based on the extensive analysis of the Five Notebooks submitted by the Halliburton Group and extensive investigations carried out so far, the following facts are clearly established:-
(a.) That Jeffrey Tesler was and is actually involved with several Nigerian Generals and with people in authority in the past and present;
(b.) That Jeffrey Tesler’s Tri-Star Investment Ltd entered into Consulting and Commercial Promotion Services for the Nigeria LNG Project.
(c.) That Jeffrey Tesler and others working in pursuance of the above mentioned agreements did meet several Nigerian Government officials and did pay gratifications/inducements/retro commissions/bribes to them in the process.
These bribes were given to secure the NLNG contract and maintaining favourable relationships with client and any other governmental authorities;
(d.) That analysis of the Notebooks submitted by Halliburton Group of Companies mentioned several prominent Nigerians.”
The $180million bribery scandal involved the former Halliburton’s subsidiary, Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) in respect of the nation’s Liquefied Natural Gas plant in Bonny.
Albert J. Stanley admitted before a Houston Court in the US on September 4, 2008 that he orchestrated more than $180million in bribe to senior government officials.
Stanley alleged that the bribe was channeled through a UK based lawyer, Mr. Jeffery Tesler, in four installments of $60million; $32.5million; $51million and $23million.
The bribe was allegedly facilitated between 1995 and 2005 in London.
The countries where the bribe money was allegedly stashed by some top government officials and their accomplices are France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Portugal and Seychelles.
Tesler, 63, was in February, 2012 sentenced to 21 months in Prison in the US after pleading guilty to the offer of princely bribe sums to some Nigerian Government officials with $132 million dollars between 1994 and 2004.
He also forfeited $149 million to US authorities under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). About five companies indicted for the Halliburton scam have paid about $200million fines.
The breakdown of the $200m remittances by the five companies was as follows: Julius Berger ($35m); Siemens (Euros 30m); Snamprogetti ($30m); Halliburton Energy Services ($32,500,000); and Japan Gasoline Corporation ($26, 500,000).
The whereabouts of about $32.5million of the fines has led to the interrogation of some senior lawyers.
Those who had been interrogated by the EFCC are a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, J.B Daudu (SAN), Mr. E.C Ukala (SAN) Chief Godwin Obla (SAN), D.D. Dodo (SAN) and a top shot of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Roland Ewubare.
Also, an Abuja High Court on March 27, 2013 struck out the case against six Nigerian suspects arraigned over the Halliburton scandal.
Those set free were a former Permanent Secretary, Ibrahim Aliyu, Mohammed Gidado Bakari and four companies.
The four companies are Urban Shelter Ltd, Intercellular Nigeria Ltd, Sherwood Petroleum Ltd and Tri-Star Investment Ltd.
The six accused persons had stood trial for allegedly serving as conduits and receiving bribes in hard currency to facilitate natural gas contracts between 1994 and 2005.
The trial judge, Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar, said the prosecution had failed to diligently prosecute the case.
On his part, Mr. Adeyanju Bodunde (a former Personal Assistant to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo) was still battling in the court to prove his innocence over alleged $5million payments made to him between 2002 and 2003.
A former EFCC chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu , who spoke in Germany on the Halliburton scandal in February, expressed regrets that the Halliburton scandal was frustrated in the country.
He said “a gang of foreigners stole from Nigeria” from a $6 billion natural gas contract won by a consortium of four international companies.
Ribadu added: “I first got hint of the case in France. I got back home and tried to investigate the case but it was very difficult or probably impossible because the companies were not there in Nigeria, they didn’t have account there, the people were not there. They had left.
“I rushed back to Paris. I was in Paris many times. I put in a request letter but after a year of trying to get French authorities to help us, the investigation magistrate told me that they could not get anyone to translate my letter from English to French. I knew it was a hopeless case.”
He said after failing to get France, Italy and Japan to help, he opted to go to the United States even though Dick Cheney, the then US vice president, was on the board of Halliburton.
“The Department of Justice in the United States took up the case. They investigated and prosecuted the case. They placed a fine of over $1.5 billion on the company, the biggest in the world for corporate corruption.”
He said some of the cases which the EFCC under his watch referred to US Department of Justice, including those of Siemens and Julius Berger, the US made over $3 billion in fines.
“But the sad aspect is this, in my own country, where the criminal activity took place, not a single person was made to face justice, especially after I was asked to leave my position. Sadly Nigeria did not make a dollar out of it,” he added.At every point in time the perpetrators of evil and corruption will always find a way to block out the chasing of it in any country and it is always left to the leaders at that point in time to show strong zeal and determination to put a stop to it despite the opposition from perpetrators.. I wish the case file will be reopened so that Nigeria will make a fortune out of it but my fear is it might just go to individuals pocket where those recently recovered has gone to Posterity will surely judge all those who have taken my beloved country to the dogs and are enjoying it
Sowole Community in Ogun State has been thrown into fear and chaos following a violent invasion by suspected landgrabbers who allegedly destroyed properties, attacked residents, and left at least one person dead.
Speaking with journalists, the Baale of Sowole town, Chief Sunday Sowole, 52, recounted the ongoing ordeal, revealing that the community has been under threat for over two years and four months.
According to him, the attackers — who are not members of the community and do not share boundaries with Sowole — first stormed the area months ago, destroyed his seven-bedroom palace, and even carted away roofing sheets and other valuables.
Chief Sowole said the community reported the matter to the Commander of SWAT in Magbon, CSP Salami Akanni Murphy, but no arrests were made during the initial police intervention.
He noted that they were invited repeatedly
“We wrote to the CSP in Magbon SWAT, Salami Akanni Murphy, and when the police came, we were not able to arrest anyone,” he said.
He explained that both parties were later summoned for a meeting by CSP Murphy, who reportedly stated that there was no legal backing to prosecute the attackers and advised the residents to return to their town despite the threats.
The parties involved were also asked to bring documents to back up their claims to the landed properties in the community but the perpetrators didn’t show up afterwards.
Earlier this week, police officers escorted Chief Sowole and some residents back to the community, during which two suspects were arrested and taken to CSP Murphy for interrogation.
However, the situation escalated again on Saturday when the armed men allegedly returned to Sowole, shooting sporadically and attacking residents with machetes.
“About eight people were shot, and one of our brothers, Hakeem Bello, was macheted to death,” the Baale lamented.
“All the instruments in our churches were taken away, and we know those involved.”
Chief Sowole expressed concern over alleged boasts by the perpetrators that they had “bought” CSP Murphy and other officers, claiming they would face no consequences for their actions.
He added that despite reporting the renewed attacks to SWAT officers in Idi-Agbon, no concrete action has been taken.
“We don’t have any dealings with these people. They just came up from Iyana Ilogbo and claimed they own our town without any documents or proof. We have our documents, but they have never presented any.”
The community is calling on the Ogun State Government, the Police High Command, and relevant authorities to intervene urgently to prevent further bloodshed and restore peace to Sowole.
A civic advocacy organisation, Zamfara Accountability and Development Coalition (ZADC), has accused top officials in the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal of hijacking and diverting funds meant for local government development across the state.
In a statement released on Sunday, signed by its president, Salisu Bako Maradun, the group said the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Commissioner for Finance, the Accountant-General, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs have allegedly formed a “self-serving alliance” that controls and misappropriates local council allocations.
“These individuals have captured the financial architecture of Zamfara’s 14 local governments. Their actions amount to economic sabotage and a betrayal of public trust,” the statement read.
ZADC said the funds sent to local governments from the Federation Account are routinely withheld and mismanaged at the state level, leaving the local councils unable to deliver basic services or execute projects that could ease the suffering of residents.
“Local governments in Zamfara have become ceremonial offices. The real work of looting is done in Gusau. Month after month, huge allocations arrive, but they disappear before they reach the grassroots,” the group said.
According to the group, this alleged financial malpractice is responsible for the worsening state of infrastructure and public services in rural areas of Zamfara, where insecurity, poverty, and neglect continue to define daily life.
“Health centres have no medicines, schools are empty shells, and rural roads are death traps. Yet the officials at the top are living in obscene luxury,” ZADC said.
The group also accused Governor Lawal of enabling the rot through silence and inaction, despite widespread reports of mismanagement under his watch.
“Governor Lawal cannot continue to look the other way while Zamfara’s commonwealth is stolen in broad daylight. His failure to act has emboldened those bleeding the state dry,” the group stated.
They also describe the state’s Joint Allocation Committee (JAC) as compromised and opaque, claiming that local government chairmen are kept in the dark about the actual figures shared each month.
“The JAC process has become a monthly ritual of secrecy. Funds are shared without documentation, accountability, or transparency. What we have is a complete breakdown of fiscal responsibility,” the group lamented.
ZADC claimed that over the past six months, the state has received billions of naira in local government allocations, yet there has been “zero reflection” of that money in any council area.
“Communities in Talata Mafara, Maru, Bukkuyum, and Tsafe have not seen any government project in over a year. The same can be said for Gummi, Kaura-Namoda, and Bakura. This is not just neglect. It is organised looting,” it said.
The group, therefore, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to launch a full investigation into the finances of Zamfara’s local government ministry and arrest those found culpable.
“We are calling on the EFCC to intervene without delay. This is not the time for subtlety. The commissioner for local government, commissioner for finance, accountant-general, and the permanent secretary must be arrested and charged with corruption,” the statement added.
ZADC noted that the people of Zamfara have suffered enough and can no longer afford to have their future traded by those in power.
“This is a state battling chronic insecurity, mass unemployment, and underdevelopment. Yet those in charge of local government finances are behaving like warlords in a conquered territory,” the group said.
It concluded by demanding that all stolen funds be recovered and channelled back to community projects to give Zamfara’s grassroots a fighting chance.
“We want every kobo accounted for. Zamfara belongs to its people, not a few godfathers and greedy bureaucrats. This impunity must stop now,” the group declared.
Crime
“My Children And I Are Not Safe If You Release Mukaila Salau Actor” – Idowu Keshinro’s Widow Begs Lagos Attorney General
The widow of Idowu Keshinro, a staffer of Ikosi-Ejirin local government who was killed in April 2024 has cried out to the Attorney General of Lagos, Mr. Lawal Pedro, Governor Babajide Sanwoolu over rumours that those arrested in connection to the death of her husband, especially Mukaila Salau Actor will be soon be released unconditionally.
The Widow, Funke Keshinro, in an interview made it known that one of the suspects, Abubakar Sulaimon Miyaki, who has been released, has been boasting of his connection with the attorney general, making it known that the other suspect arrested will soon be released.
She made it known that if they are released as rumoured, the lives of her and the children of the deceased are not safe because the suspects are ready to cause more mayhem for them.
She revealed that rumours have it that the Attorney general of Lagos state has collected the case file for a review of the case and this has stalled sitting on the matter in court. She urged those in power to intervene in the matter to ensure justice prevails.
“Abubakar Sulaiman Miyaki has been saying he has settled attorney general and that they will release those that have been arrested in connection with the death of Idowu Keshinro, my late husband who was shot multiple times and died on April 4 2024. If they are released, my three children and I are not safe because we won’t be able to go anywhere.
“Anyone that is killed is meant to be killed but when criminals are released, they will continue doing what they have done. I want to please urge Governor Sanwoolu to intervene in this matter, I am begging those in power to please help in this matter.
“I learnt the Attorney General has collected the case file for a review and because of that, they are yet to sit on the matter in court. I don’t know what to do other than begging those that can intervene to please help my family.”
Meanwhile, a petition has been written to the Attorney General and Governor Babajide Sanwoolu about the rumoured proposed release of Mukaila Salau Actor and other suspect who had been declared wanted by the Nigeria Police for criminal offences.
“Further to our brief, the aforesaid persons are notorious criminals having criminal cases hanging on their neck as a golden chain. As a result of the criminal activities perpetrated by MUKAILA OLALEKAN SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR), he was declared WANTED by the Nigeria Police for the offences of Criminal Conspiracy, Murder and unlawful possession of fire arms in Moro Village, Ikorodu, Lagos State sometimes in 2017. MUKAILA SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR) and the aforesaid persons have become conkerworms in the lives of the inhabitants of Isiu, Ota-Ikosi Via Agbowa, Ikorodu, Lagos. The said persons are notorious cult members leaders committed crime with impunity at will without any regards to the rule of law. It is painful to stress here that, the said persons perpetrated heinous crime at different times, got arrested but later released without any justification, hence the boast of the aforesald persons that they are well connected and as a result could escape justice even where murder is committed lIke in the instance of our jants thereof. The photocopy of the police special bulletin where MUKAILA OLALEKAN SALAU (AKA A ACTOR) was declared WANTED and photographs of the said person and one of his syndicate are hereby annexed for ease of reference”
It was also noted that Abubakar Sulaimon has also been allegedly committing heinous crimes since his release. The Attorney General was also fingered in the petition as the official that initiated the release of the suspect.
“That upon the preceding paragraph, the Attorney General of Lagos State in a very strange twist of event ordered for a review of the said Legal Advice by the Director of Public Prosecution, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos and thereupon set free, and terminated the court proceeding against Abubakar Sulaimon Mayaki for the said murder of the said IDOWU KESHINRO to the total shock of all and sundry.”
“Further to our brief, the aforesaid persons are notorious criminals having criminal cases hanging on their neck as a golden chain. As a result of the criminal activities perpetrated by MUKAILA OLALEKAN SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR), he was declared WANTED by the Nigeria Police for the offences of Criminal Conspiracy, Murder and unlawful possession of fire arms in Moro Village, Ikorodu, Lagos State sometimes in 2017. MUKAILA SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR) and the aforesaid persons have become conkerworms in the lives of the inhabitants of Isiu, Ota-Ikosi Via Agbowa, Ikorodu, Lagos. The said persons are notorious cult members leaders committed crime with impunity at will without any regards to the rule of law. It is painful to stress here that, the said persons perpetrated heinous crime at different times, got arrested but later released without any justification, hence the boast of the aforesaid persons that they are well connected and as a result could escape justice even where murder is committed lIke in the instance of our jants thereof. The photocopy of the police special bulletin where MUKATLA¿LALEKAN SALAU (AKA A ACTOR) was declared WANTED and photographs of the said person and one of his syndicate are hereby annexed for ease of reference”
The petition also noted that Abubakar Suleimon has been boasting of his connection with powerful politicians, making it known that he will ensure others in custody are released.
“We have the brief of our clients that ABUBAKAH SULEIMON MIYAKI and others continue to boast that MUKAILA SALAU (AKA ACTOR) would be released unconditionally as they clairned to have connection to few politicians who would lead them to the office of the Attorney General and or have sufficient money to access the said office so as to ensure the Attorney General exercises his prerogative powers under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to release MUKAILA SALAU (A.K A ACTOR) and others in the above mentioned charge.”
It would be recalled that the deceased, Idowu Keshinro, before he died mentioned names of people he identified as his killers. Among them was Abubakar Suleimon Miyaki, Mukaila Salau ACTOR, and several others at large.
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