BEVERLY HILLS, October 24, (THEWILL) – A tale of two former Ministers of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). One, Bala Mohammed, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while the other, Aliyu Modibbo, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mohammed was arrestedon Mondaynight and is currently in detention at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
THEWILL gathered that he is likely to spend at leastMondaynight at the commission’s office as his detention was still being processed.
Mohammed was elected Senator for Bauchi South, in Bauchi State, in April 2007 and was appointed Minister of FCT on 8 April 2010 by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He becomes the fifth aide of the former President in EFCC detention joining Musiliu Obanikoro, a former Minister of state for defence; Femi Fani-Kayode, a Spokesperson for Jonathan’s re-election campaign last year, and Reuben Abati, the former president’s Spokesperson while in office.
THEWILL further gathered from sources at the anti-graft agency that Mohammed was being investigated over alleged fake contracts valued at around N1bn and the allocation of 12 properties and 37 commercial plots of land to a suspected front. He is also being probed over a controversial Abuja land swap deal estimated to be around N1 trillion.
Those quizzed earlier by the agency over the matter included the Director of Treasury, Ibrahim Bomoi, his counterpart in charge of Land, Babayo Mainasara, and the Director in charge of Abuja Geographical Information Service, Ms Jamila Tangaza.
The commission had also grilled Samshudeen Bala, one of Mohammed’s son and one Tariq Hammoud, said to be a front for the minister.
In contrast, Modibbo, a founding member of the PDP registered to become a member of the APC at the party’s office in his ward in Kumo West of Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State.
Modibbo served as Minister of State, Power and Steel as well as Minister of Commerce during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and was Minister of FCT under late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
“This is the first time I am personally joining a political party, even though I served as minister three times under the PDP administration. All the appointments were based on merit,” he said.
Story by Oputah David
About the Author
