Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), at the weekend, arrested a man believed to be the younger brother of Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, as investigation of corruption allegation levied against her continues.
Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia is one of the eight judges suspended by the National Judicial Commission (NJC) after the Department of State Services (DSS) invaded homes of some judges between October 7-8.
Before her suspension, alongside other judges, she interrogated by the anti-graft agency, which granted her bail after she turned herself in.
Over the weekend, it was gathered that EFCC picked up her brother, who allegedly wired $150,000 into her Diamond Bank Domiciliary Account.
The name of the brother was not mentioned, but, it was gathered that investigators discovered that the amount was paid into the judge’s account sometimes in March 2014.
Spokesman of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren when contacted said he could not speak with authority on the matter as the investigation of Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia and some other judges was being handled by the South-West Zonal office in Lagos.
“If there is need to quiz the woman’s brother, or even anyone connected with her, it will be done because the commission will not leave any loopholes to be exploited in court.”
However, a source familiar with the team handling investigation of the judges confirmed that Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia’s is in the custody of the EFCC.
But EFCC sources said the younger Ofili has not been able to explain to investigators how he came about the huge amount of money and why it was routed to the judge’s account.
The arrest was described as a major leap in assembling evidence against the embattled justice, in addition to properties traced to her in Nigeria and in abroad.
Earlier, a former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) executive, Greg Ero, from whom Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia claimed she had borrowed funds to buy her home in London, was grilled by the commission.
Though Ero was reportedly not in good health, he was unable to explain how he came about the sums of monies he reportedly gave to Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia as a loan.
Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia is one of numerous judges currently under investigation by the EFCC for alleged acts of corruption.
Investigators allege she and other judges frequently accepted huge sums in bribe in order to tailor judicial verdicts in favor of those who offered the bribes, often elected public officials.
She was granted bail after detectives searched her home in Lagos and recovered documents showing that the judge had bought homes abroad and also, recently, on Park Avenue in Ikoyi.
The document showed that the judge, who once freed former minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode on a technicality on corruption charges, had wired at least $900,000 to foreign banks between 2014-2016.
