SaharaReporters profiles these lawmakers with blemished records of public service.

1. Bukola Abubakar Saraki

Senator Bukola Saraki, the Senate president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a man whose name has become a major topic in the discussion about corruption in Nigeria. He represents Kwara Central constituency at the upper chamber. The senator, in connivance with his aides and associates, allegedly laundered N3.5 billion traced to the Paris Club loan refund to states. The senate president also allegedly acquired assets beyond his legitimate earnings while he served as a governor of Kwara State for eight years and operates off-shore accounts in violation of the law which forbids a public officer to own bank account abroad.
He is currently facing a 13-count charge at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), and his spouse, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, has a file at the EFCC over alleged squandering of Kwara State funds.
His bid to stop the trial at the CCT suffered a setback at the Supreme Court last year when the court dismissed his appeal and upheld an earlier decision by the Court of Appeal, ordering him to face trial at the tribunal. Saraki, a medical doctor by training, reportedly emptied the treasury of his father's bank Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria (SGBN) when he served as an executive director. The bank finally collapsed in 2003 after the Saraki Dynasty recklessly looted to fund their political activities that saw Bukola become the Governor of Kwara state in 2003. Mr. Saraki's thieving career started in 1990 according to police documents.
"Office of the Inspector General of Police, detailed a scheme by the siblings Bukola and Gbemi Saraki, along with Tokunbo Salami, Jude Iluyomade, and Mohammed Bashir. From 1990 to 2000, according to the Inspector General’s report dated August 21st 1990, Ms. Gbemi Saraki worked in the Treasury Department of Societe Generale Bank Nigeria while now-Senate President Bukola Saraki was a director of the bank. The Saraki family owned the largest shares of any Nigerian in the bank, a fact they exploited to obtain unsecured loans and engage in several other illicit transactions that saw to the bank’s demise.
In one letter to Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Societe Generale Paris, which owned a majority stake of Societe Generale Nigeria, accused the Sarakis and their cohorts of defrauding the bank out of 510,000 Naira through illegal and “unauthorized withdrawals of money.”
Part of the letter read, “the amount, in this particular case, N510, 000, was cashed by Miss Gbemi Saraki—the daughter of Dr. Olusola Saraki [Senator Saraki’s father]. Miss. Gbemi Saraki works in the Treasury Department of Societe Generale Bank (Nigeria) Limited where the alleged thefts constantly take place…Miss Saraki signed for the collection of the cash.”
The letter also accused their father, Olusola Saraki, who died on November 14, 2012, of involvement in “stealing N8.5 million out of N10 million illegally withdrawn from the account of the Bank to purchase a house in Ikoyi.”
Part of the charges filed against Saraki and others in 1990

2. Godswill Obot Akpabio

The senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West, Ikot Ekpene is the minority leader in the Senate. He was the governor of Akwa Ibom State for eight years. EFCC has alleged him of appropriating N108.1billion of Akwa Ibom funds. Sources close to the governor alleged he has embezzled a lot more than what EFCC is charging him for.
Akpabio, who is the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, was twice invited by the EFCC in 2015, over the allegation of fraud. The anti-graft body in February 2017 impounded a school building in Akwa Ibom belonging to his wife pending completion of the investigation.

3. Ben Murray-Bruce

The Bayelsa Senator Benjamin Murray-Bruce, former Director General of Nigerian Television Authority between1999 and 2003, allegedly diverted a loan he obtained from Union Bank of Nigeria to purchase a posh property in Beverly Hills, California in 2007. Bruce and his brothers used their companies to borrow funds from the bank at various times, and they repeatedly defaulted in paying back. Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON purchased the loan in 2011 to save the bank from collapsing. AMCON is now seizing the assets belonging to the three companies used in securing the loan – Silverbird Productions Limited, Silverbird Showtime Limited, and Silverbird Galleria Limited.
Mr. Bruce, the self-proclaimed "Commonsense Senator ", was one of the most vocal senators during the
#BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira , a movement that criticizes those who needlessly import foreign goods. He touted his reputation for building businesses in Nigeria to champion the importance of domestic investment in goods.
Sources from different banks in Nigeria told SaharaReporters that the N11 billion loan Bruce took out from Union Bank around 2007 was supposed to be used to construct the Abuja Entertainment Center. But instead of using the loan to fund his Nigerian business operations, he diverted it to purchase an opulent property in the Beverly Hills area of Los Angeles and London.
The Los Angeles County Property Assessor’s Office, the Real Estate Records office, and the Special Investigation unit confirmed to SaharaReporters that the Nigerian senator from Bayelsa State purchased a property on August 6th, 2007 and remains the owner. The address is 605 North Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.
A public records search, also confirmed by municipal employees in Los Angeles County, assessed the value of Senator Bruce’s land at $3.1 million. The value of the mansion and other structures at the property was estimated at no less than $795,000.
The senator’s Beverly Hills swanky property has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a swimming pool and is estimated to be at least 2,777 square feet. Assessments of real estate platforms show that the property is worth $5 million as of today.

4. Dino Melaye

Self-styled progressive and anti-corruption activist, Senator Dino Melaye a.k.a "Daniel Jonah Melaye" is the Senator representing Kogi West. He illegally operates foreign accounts in the United States, despite that the Nigerian law forbids a public officer to operate a foreign account. Melaye operates a current account with number 4460 1649 8396 under the name “CampusEdge, senatorial” and regular savings account with account number 4460 1647 5966 with Bank of America in the state of Maryland. He is a close ally of the embattled Senator Saraki.
The senator recently bought a home in Abuja valued at N1.3 billion ($6.5 million). The house is located at 11 Sangha Street, off Mississippi Street, in the Maitama upscale neighborhood of the city. Mr. Melaye who recently embroiled in a certificate scandal has no publicly known source of income, yet he parades a variety luxury automobiles emblazoned with vanity license plates customized to his adopted name.

5. Joshua Chibi Dariye

Senator Joshua Dariye, former governor of Plateau State, is representing Plateau Central senatorial district in the Senate. He was the governor of Plateau State from 1999 to 2003 and was re-elected in 2003 before he was impeached in 2006.
The senator is being prosecuted by EFCC, on a 23-count charge bordering on money laundering and diversion. Dariye is alleged to have siphoned the state’s ecological fund to the tune of N1.162 billion. Before his arrest and trial in Nigeria, Dariye was first arrested for money laundering in London in 2004. However, he jumped bail and fled to Nigeria before charges were filed against him in the UK. He is the chairman Senate Committee on Solid Minerals.

6. Peter Nwaobosi

Senator Peter Nwaobosi is a senator representing Delta North and the Chairman Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs. The Senator and his brother Augustine Nwaoboshi have been alleged of defrauding Delta State to the tune of N2.1 billion. The two men shortchanged the people of Delta by supplying used equipment in place of new ones to Delta State government and went away with N2.1 billion. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator is reported to have used the proceeds to acquire several properties in Lagos and Delta States using his companies as fronts. The senators and his brother allegedly operate over 20 bank accounts for fraudulent purposes.

7. Stella Odua-Ogiemwonyi

EFCC has traced N3.6b in stolen funds to former Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah.
As Minister of Aviation, Ms. Oduah secured several multi-billion naira contracts to upgrade Nigeria’s 22 airports. It was later revealed that much of this money went into the minister’s private account and that the program’s progress that she touted was grossly overstated. Documents made available to SaharaReporters showed that of the 192 contracts awarded in the second phase of the program, only six were completed.
Ms. Oduah first came under scrutiny after compelling the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to buy her two bulletproof BMWs valued at N255m. The House of Representatives and a presidential committee indicted the minister for violating the country’s procurement regulations.

8. Buruji Kashamu

Buruji Kashamu is a Nigerian senator representing Senatorial district, and the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on States and Local Governments.
The senator is wanted in the United States for being a drug baron; he has for a long time avoided traveling to the US. The elections tribunal court in Nigeria annulled his election but was later upheld by the Appeal Court. His case is still in court.

9. Theodore Ahamefule Orji

Theodore Orji representing Abia Central senatorial district was the former governor in his state. Orji together with his wife and son allegedly looted his state to the tune of N47 billion He was accused of embezzlement of funds that were meant for the several development projects in the state. His case is still pending.

10. Lt. General Jeremiah Timbut Useni

Lt. General Jeremiah Useni, a senator representing Plateau South was the Federal Capital Territory Minister during General Sanni Abacha regime. He served Nigeria in various capacities as Minister for Transport and as Quarter-Master General of the Nigeria Army and was accused of looting the public fund running to billions along with his principal, Abacha.
The media reported in 1998 that over N4 billion was found in his palatial country home at Langtang by the combined team of SSS and DMI officers, and over N2 billion of the money was in foreign currency. Also found at his house in the millionaires’ quarters on the British-American road Jos, were a dozen of coaster buses then valued at N110 million, brand new Peugeot cars, jeeps and nine latest models of Mercedes-Benz cars.
Sources in Jos, who witnessed the raid, said they saw several bags of money being moved out of Useni’s house where he has an underground vault. Like several other army generals who looted the treasury during Abacha regime, he is yet to be prosecuted by any anti-graft agency.

11. David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark

Former Senate President David Mark is reputed to be one of the most corrupt public officers in Nigerian history. The senator representing Benue-South in the upper legislative house is a retired army general who amassed a lot of wealth during the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, another military autocrat with a history of corrupt self-enrichment.
Mark, a fifth –term senator, is one of the few Nigerians listed in #PanamaPapers, the report that reveals identities of clients of the most secretive companies in the world, registered through the law firm of Mossack Fonseca. The senator together with his wife, Vikky Preye Mark both laundered billion of dollars abroad. As Nigeria’s Minister for Communications in the 1980s, David Mark acquired a reputation for speaking in a gruff manner. His most notorious gaffe was a statement that telephones were not meant for poor Nigerians. The statement was in response to criticism of the scarcity of telephone lines as well as their high cost.
Mark was then at the peak of a flourishing military career that saw him amass an incredible personal wealth that would later define his life as a member of Nigeria’s most corrupt military elite that ran the nation with an iron hand from the early 1980s till mid-1990s. SaharaReporters has at different times documented the sleaze and roguery that characterized his tenure as the leader of the Senate.
The first of the deals that catapulted David Mark into questionable wealth came from a $77 million “telecommunications deal” which he brokered while he was Communications Minister under General Babangida. The gist was that Mark procured aircraft for the nation’s telephone company- NITEL- at highly inflated prices. Mark made an instant profit of $70 million which he shared with President Ibrahim Babangida in accounts opened in Jersey and Cayman Islands. From this single deal, David Mark had set aside the sum of £6 million in a “trust” for his children as well as invested in real estate for his numerous wives and children in the UK and Ireland. In a remarkable, if curious, decision, Mark also invested the sum of £5.9 pounds in the 18-hole St. Margaret’s Golf Club near Dublin, just a five- minute drive from the International Airport in Dublin, Ireland and also in an unnamed business in Northern Ireland which officially employed him while he was in the UK in exile.
He also bought a private house worth £2.5 million pounds on Kingston upon the Thames River in London.
Besides, David Mark hired a personal assistant in England to help manage his businesses in London and Ireland. He lived a life of legendary luxury, arranging for most of his kids to be born in the UK, Switzerland and other Western European nations. From kindergarten to college, most of his children also attended schools in Europe or in some of England’s priciest educational institutions.
According to records available to Saharareporters, David Mark has married six times, his last marriage being in Ghana in 1995 where he retains a massive investment of funds looted from Nigeria. His sixth wife also lives in London with his children. Apart from Ghana, David Mark also has investments in the Caribbean and the US and maintains hefty bank accounts in Switzerland, Cayman Islands, and Jersey.

12. Akume George

Senator Akume George was the Minority Leader of the Senate from June 2011 to June 2015 representing Benue North and West. He was a detainee of EFCC over an allegation of money laundering to the tune of N41billion. His kinsmen led by Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, former Lagos State Police Commissioner, then accused him of spending N5 billion on gifts and donations to friends of the administration in 2004, despite the fact that the state lacks motorable roads, pipe-borne water, health care facilities and other basic amenities.

13. Mohammed Goje Danjuma

Goje Danjuma, a senator representing Gombe Central is currently undergoing trial for stealing N5b. Danjuma Goje was the governor of Gombe State from 2003 to 2011. He is presently a second-term senator representing Gombe Central Senatorial District at the Nigerian Senate.
Aside from chairing the Senate Committee on Appropriations, he is the chairman of the North-East Caucus of the National Assembly. The senator, along with four others, is facing an 18- count charge bordering on conspiracy and fraud to N25bn instituted by the EFCC.
The case was transferred to Jos from Gombe in 2015 on the instruction of the Chief Justice of the Federation over security concerns.

14. Abdullahi Adamu

Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu was the governor of Nasarawa State from 1999 to 2007. He represents Nasarawa West Senatorial District and is the Chairman Senate Committee on Agriculture.
In Feb 2010, the EFCC arrested the lawmaker for allegedly misappropriating N15billion alongside 18 others.
He was subsequently arraigned on a 149-count charge of fraud to the tune of N15 billion before Justice Ibrahim Buba, a controversial high court judge, Justice Marcel Awokulehin later took over the case.
The lawmaker and his co-accused denied all the charges and challenged the jurisdiction of the court to try the case, arguing that the money in question belong to the people of Nasarawa State and therefore does not fall under the purview of the Federal Government and the EFCC to investigate and prosecute.
The court, however, ruled against the accused persons and ordered them to face trial. The lawmaker and his co-accused subsequently appealed the ruling to the Court of Appeal sitting in Markudi, Benue State. The case is yet to be concluded.

15. Abdulaziz Murtala Nyako

Abdulaziz Murtala Nyako, the son of former Governor Murtala Nyako, represents Adamawa Central Senatorial District in the Senate.
A first term Senator, he chairs the Committee on Special Duties, which oversees the general affairs of the Senate President, Ecological Fund, among others.
In July last year, the EFCC docked Abdulaziz and his father, Murtala Nyako the former governor of Adamawa State, at a Federal High Court in Abuja over cases of alleged corruption.
They were arraigned before Justice E. Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a 37-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, stealing, money laundering and abuse of office.
Also charged with them, were Abubakar Aliyu and Zulkifikk Abba. They were accused of using five companies to siphon over N15billion at various times, between 2011 and 2013, from Adamawa State coffers. They all pleaded not guilty to the charges.


16. Ahmed Sani Yarima

Senator Ahmed Sani Yarima is a three-term senator and former governor of Zamfara State. He represents Zamfara West Senatorial District in the Senate.
Yarima is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Marine Transport and a member of other committees, including the Senate Committee on Interior which oversees the police, prisons, immigration and the fire service.
In January 2017, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) at the Zamfara State High Court in Gusau docked him on a 19-count charge of corruption.
The commission accused him of diverting part of the N1 billion project funds for the repair of collapsed Gusau Dam and resettlement of the victims of flood to other purposes.
The alleged offenses were committed in 2006 and mainly in October and November of that year, according to ICPC. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

17. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

Rabiu Kwankwaso representing Kano –Central was a two-term governor. The governor has been accused of embezzling N2 billion belonging to pensioners in the state. The former Governor allegedly deposited the sum of N2billion in Kano branch of defunct Euro Bank Plc, which later went into liquidation a few months later.
Senator Kwankwaso has relocated to Abuja since he handed over power to Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and has reportedly left behind over N300billion liability that included N199 million in unpaid advert bills.

18. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko

Aliyu Wamako representing Sokoto North was a former governor of Sokoto State for eight years. The governor has been petitioned for embezzling over N14 billion. EFCC is yet to close in on the governor.

19 Sani Abubakar Danladi

Sanni Abubakar is a representative of Taraba-North; the former deputy governor of Taraba State was impeached over allegations of corruption when he was in office. EFCC arrested him in 2013 for diversion of public funds meant for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) projects. He reportedly spent the funds to establish a private school, Yagai Academy. The school is estimated to be worth N1.3billion.

http://saharareporters.com/2017/04/07/nigerian-senate-alleged-thieves-and-rogues-part-2

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Hmmm

Bring it On SR. Truth be told our dear country fight on corruption would not catch these chaps