N3.5m Fraud: EFCC Detains Ex-Imo Gov

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arrested former Imo State Governor, Chief Achike Udenwa, in connection with an alleged campaign fund fraud committed during the 2015 presidential elections.
Udenwa, as a state coordinator for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign organization in Imo State, was said to have collected the sum of N3.5million from the former Senator representing Kaduna South and Director of Finance for the PDP presidential campaign organisation, Nenadi Usman.
The suspect, in his statement to the commission, admitted receiving the money via Diamond Bank with account numbers 0058805692 and 005950791 on January 14 and 28, 2015, respectively, in three separate instalments.
He added that the money came from a company named Joint Trust Dimension Limited.
This same company was charged alongside Nenadi Usman and the media director of the PDP presidential campaign organization, Femi Fani-Kayode, before a Federal High Court in Lagos on a similar allegation.
An investigation, however, revealed that Udenwa and a former minister of foreign affairs, Prof Viola Onwuliri, who was his deputy at the presidential campaign organization, were the two signatories to the Diamond Bank account that received the money.
Upon his arrest, Udenwa was immediately granted administrative bail on the condition that he reports himself to the commission at an appointed time.
But while enjoying his administrative bail, Udenwa chose to deliberately skip reporting, thereby compelling the EFCC to revoke his administrative bail, pending his arraignment soon.
It would be recalled that Udenwa was a governor of Imo State under the platform of the PDP between 1999 and 2007, and became minister of commerce and industry between 2008 and 2010 under President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua/Goodluck Jonathan administration.