By Soni Daniel, Abuja

THREE key Peoples Democratic Party officials in the North East have refunded N17 million to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in a bid to secure their release from the anti-graft agency. The trio were arrested and detained for allegedly benefitting from the N23 billion slush fund made available by former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison Madueke, with a view to compromising the poll in favour of a candidate.

A top source in EFCC told Vanguard last night that the former Secretary to the Bauchi State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Dandija, ex-chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in Gombe State, Nuhu Poloma, and the Zonal Coordinator of the PDP in the North Eastern States of Gombe, Taraba and Adamawa, Bunu Mulima, returned the N17 million in exchange for their freedom.

The former SSG refunded N10 million; the Gombe PDP Chairman returned N2 million while the NE Zonal coordinator refunded N5 million. An informed source said that the suspects deposited the money through bank drafts made out in the name of the Commission for the aforementioned sums yesterday.

Dandija paid the said sum through a bank draft of FCMB; Poloma bank draft came from Zenith while Mulima issued a Union Bank draft. Dandija admitted in a written statement that N20 million passed through his hands to some other beneficiaries but accepted liability for the refund of the whole sum. He reportedly promised to bring another bank draft for the balance of N10million today.

However, Poloma admitted that N450 million passed through him for disbursement. He admitted that only N2 million was his personal benefit from the fund. While Mulima, according to him, reaped N30 million from the campaign fund. They have pledged to refund the balance. The Commission has been pursuing beneficiaries of the campaign fund made available by the former minister of petroleum resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke.