The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained Timber Kesiye Wabote, the former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in connection with allegations of misappropriating $35 million linked to the abandoned Brass Project in Bayelsa State. This project was intended to create an Energy Infrastructure Park, including a refinery, jetty, gas plant, power station, data center, and tank farm, but it was abandoned in 2020 despite significant investment.
Wabote’s arrest follows the earlier detention of Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, the Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, who also faces charges of money laundering and fund diversion tied to the same project. Investigators allege that the funds, provided under Wabote’s leadership as counterpart funding from the NCDMB, were misused, leaving little progress on the initiative.
The EFCC is broadening its investigation, with Wabote currently held at their Abuja office and additional suspects potentially facing scrutiny.
