t’s unclear if the EFCC completed its investigation in 2018 or if it notified President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the fraud accusations against Ms. Rimi prior to her nomination to the NIPC.
Aisha Rimi, recently appointed as CEO of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) by President Bola Tinubu, has been previously indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged diversion of Lagos state government funds to the tune of N3 billion.
The National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) traced suspicious “heavy inflows in excess of N3 billion from the Lagos state government Number Plate Production Authority” into the accounts of Rimi and Partners and Ekosina Investment Limited, both of which Ms. Rimi was a signatory. This led to the EFCC’s awareness of the questionable transfers, according to EFCC lawyer Olamide Sadiq in 2018.She was the sole proprietor of the law firm.
“Investigations revealed that Aisha Rimi is the major partner in Rimi and Partners and she is also in control of Ekosina Investment Limited, a company seen to have received huge transfers from the Lagos state government Number Plate Production Authority,” Mr Sadiq said in 2018.
At the time, Ms Rimi’s husband, Folorunsho Coker, was the managing director of the Number Plate Authority and it was believed the government funds were diverted with his say-so, thereby making him the prime suspect in the matter and Ms Rimi may have been considered an accomplice in perpetrating the fraud.
Her two companies were listed as the second and third respondents in the suit filed by the EFCC.
The probe in 2018 prompted Mohammed Idris, judge at the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, to order that 10 Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) accounts which belonged to Ms Rimi and her shell companies be immediately frozen.
“From preliminary investigations by the commission, the second and third respondents were used to divert funds from the Lagos state government Number Plate Production Authority with the influence of Folorunsho Coker, who was the managing director of the Lagos state agency,” Mr Sadiq explained.
EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwajuren did not immediately return a request for comment on whether they shared their findings with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The presidency also did not respond when asked whether Mr President was aware of the fraud allegations hanging over Ms Rimi before he appointed her CEO of NIPC.
Morenikeji Adedayo is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
