Details of how the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) indicted newly appointed Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) boss, Aisha Rimi for diverting N3 billion belonging to the Lagos state government has surfaced online.
The Herald understands that Aisha Rimi was indicted alongside Lagos socialite, Folorunsho Coker, now reportedly her estranged husband.
Throwback
In 2018, EFCC lawyer Olamide Sadiq disclosed that the EFCC was alerted to the dubious transfers after 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 Aisha Rimi and Partners and Ekosina Investment Limited, both of which Ms Rimi was signatory.
Mr Sadiq said, “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.”
As of 2018, 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 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.
Aisha Rimi’s Appointment
Despite the her past fraud records, The Herald reports that President Bola Tinubu on October 15 appointed Aisha Rimi as the new CEO of NIPC taking over from Hajja Wakil who has served in an acting capacity.
Addressing the staff, Aisha Rimi pledged to reposition the NIPC to attract new routes of foreign investments into Nigeria to shore up the dwindling revenue of the government and the much-needed jobs.
She also thanked the president for the privilege to contribute to the economic growth of the country.