The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained Timber Kesiye Wabote, the former Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), for his alleged involvement in a $35 million Brass Project fraud.
Wabote’s arrest follows that of Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, who is accused of misappropriating $35 million allocated for a Brass Project refinery. Both are currently held at the EFCC’s facility in Abuja, with investigations suggesting extensive fund diversion and project abandonment.
According to EFCC findings, Akindele initially proposed the Energy Infrastructure Park in Brass LGA, Bayelsa, receiving NCDMB support and counterpart funding of $35 million under Wabote’s leadership. However, since the payment in December 2020, minimal progress has been reported on the planned refinery, jetty, gas plant, and other facilities.
The EFCC is expanding its investigation to identify other possible suspects linked to the alleged mismanagement of the project funds.