Obasa: Lagos speaker ‘spotted in Mecca’ after telling EFCC he was going abroad for medical treatment

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, who is currently being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over massive financial misappropriation, has been sighted in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Obasa had told the court that he was sick and needed to tend to his “failing” health”.

The EFCC had in October 2020 given Obasa back his passport to enable him get medical treatment, only for him to resurface in Mecca, apparentlyhale and hearty.

On October 10, 2020, Obasa was grilled by the EFCC after an emergency sitting of the state house of assembly.

To avoid answering questions surrounding alleged corruption, Obasa, according to Sahara Reporters, had feigned sickness during interrogation at the EFCC’s office.

“Obasa became weak when confronted with a deluge of his illicit properties and money laundering evidence by the team led by an officer from the southeastern part of the country, contrary to his earlier claims of no links to the properties,” a source had said.

“He became weak after hours of grilling by the vigilant and dogged staff of the EFCC.

“To escape sleeping at the EFCC office overnight and with the effect of the weight of evidence on his shoulder, Obasa claimed to be sick.

“He was then taken to the sickbay of the EFCC on the directive of the Zonal Head, for immediate treatment and was subsequently released on bail.”

Obasa also reportedly pleaded that his passport be released to him so he could travel abroad for medical treatment.

But the Lagos speaker, according to Sahara Reporters, soon proceeded on Umrah (also called lesser Hajj or lesser pilgrimage) to meet All Progressives Congress chieftain Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Saudi Arabia.

“EFCC gave him back his passport when he claimed that he was sick and needed to go for treatment overseas, only for him to get Lagos Assembly members to sponsor his lavish trip to Mecca to go and see Tinubu,” a source told Sahara Reporters.

On October 8, 2020 Obasa, some top Lagos State House of Assembly members and accounting officials of the assembly had been invited by the EFCC for questioning.

Inside sources said Obasa bought some of those properties — estate in Ikorodu, besides Lagos State Polytechnic campus and an expanse of land in Ifako-Ijaye, among many others — in the name of his business fronts.

These fronts earlier invited by the commission had made confessional statements implicating and exposing Obasa’s ownership of the properties.

Some forces at the office of President Muhammadu Buhari’s chief of staff Ibrahim Gambari, according to Sahara Reporters, stampeded the EFCC to grant Obasa administrative bail.

Sahara Reporters had revealed in May 2020, how at least 64 bank accounts were discovered to be linked to the Bank Verification Number (BVN) of the speaker.

Sahara Reporters had discovered that the accounts registered with various names, are being used to siphon public funds in Lagos.

To conceal his identity, the speaker allegedly changed his name and date of birth on some of the accounts.

Aside from using Ajayi Mudashiru Obasa, he also used Obasa Abdulrahman Gbadunola and Gabriel Adedoyin Savage to register some of the bank accounts, reporting showed.

Some of the companies linked to his BVN include Adesav International Ventures, Fabric Splash Ventures, Swifthill international Ventures and Quick Solution International.

Others are Quick solution International Ventures, White Honey Enterprises, Cream on Ice Services, A.B DELCO Nigeria Company, and Fabric Splash Ventures, Skye-Macosh Company, Swifthill International Ventures, Silver Section Global, Davedab Global Ventures and Jose-Macosh Company and De Kingrun.

In a series of reports, Sahara Reporters had exposed how Obasa awarded contracts to himself using different companies owned by him and how he got the Assembly to approve N258 million for printing of invitation cards for the inauguration of lawmakers two months after the event held.