The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has discovered four accounts belonging to Dame Patience Jonathan, the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The accounts were opened in the name of four domestic staff.

Punch reports that the accounts were opened for four companies: Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited, Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Globus Integrated Service Limited.

The sources quoted in the report also said the money was domiciled in Skye Bank Plc.

The four companies’ accounts have a balance of about $15m while another account, which bears the former first lady’s name, has $5m.

Deposing an affidavit on behalf of Dame Jonathan, Sammie Somiari said the former First Lady owns the money in the accounts.

According to him, she gave millions to the former Special Adviser to the President on Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa, to open accounts for her, who then opened four accounts in the name of his companies.

But a source at the EFCC said Dudafa used his domestic servants’ names to open the four other accounts.

The source said, “We were investigating Dudafa when we stumbled on those four companies’ domiciliary accounts opened at Skye Bank with a balance of about $15m. On further investigation, we were able to identify the directors of the companies.

“When we detained the directors, we found out that they were Dudafa’s domestic servants. One of them was a houseboy while another one was a driver. Their photographs were used in opening the accounts and their signatures were forged.

“We found out that these domestic servants were completely innocent because they had no access to the accounts. We have since released them. The sole signatory to the accounts was Patience Jonathan and she was issued with a special card, which is accepted worldwide. She has a separate account, which was opened in her name and has a balance of $5m.”

Two Skye Bank executives, Demola Bolodeoku and Dipo Oshodi, who helped Dudafa to open the accounts on March 22, 2010, were also being investigated.

“This is a clear case of fraud and there is no way the bank officials will say they did not know what was going on. They are under investigation and those found culpable will be arraigned.

“What we have noticed is that in order to conceal funds, what politicians and top civil servants do is to open bank accounts in the name of family or friends and then make themselves the sole signatory to the account.

“Don’t forget that we traced about 17 bank accounts to the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.).

“Often times, they do this in connivance with bank officials and that is why the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, has said henceforth, whenever we are investigating a bank official, we will probe the entire bank as well because these officials usually act under the instruction of their superiors.”

Dame Jonathan has however, sued Skye Bank for N200m for revealing vital information about her finances to the EFCC.