High-profile fraud cases: EFCC, ICPC not cooperating with AGF, says aide

The Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Chief
Okoi Obono-Obla, on Tuesday, alleged that the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices
and other related offences Commission were not cooperating with the
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr.
Abubakar Malami (SAN).

Obono-Obla, in an interview with The PUNCH not TheNigerialawyer,
absolved the AGF of any blame for the losses of the high-profile
corruption cases as the agencies had allegedly defied the
minister’s directives on the cases.

He noted that many of the fraud cases against some former
governors, being handled by the EFCC and the ICPC, had been stalled
at investigation stages for over 10 years.

He cited the example of how both the EFCC and the ICPC defied
the AGF’s request for the duplicate case-files of the high-profile
cases being handled by the agencies.

He said, “Although the Attorney General of the Federation has
the power under both the constitution and the Administration of
Criminal Justice Act 2015 to make a request of any case file that
is pending either with the police, the ICPC, the EFCC or any of the
prosecuting agencies, we met a brick wall when we requested the
files of the high-profile cases of former governors from the EFCC
and the ICPC.

“They don’t cooperate with us. We cannot use a whip to start
beating them, but I expect that the rules of public service require
that if letters are written by the office of the AGF, those letters
should be honoured.

“They don’t want to work with the office of the AGF.”

On what the AGF would do, he said, “We will keep on making the
request so that at the end of the day, anybody, who accuses the
office of the AGF as being responsible for the delay in the
prosecution of criminal cases, then we present our evidence.”

He said the AGF’s office had updated its list of high-profile
cases which the minister requested their files from the
anti-corruption agencies last year.

The PUNCH had exclusively reported in July 2016, that the AGF
had written separate letters to the EFCC and the ICPC requesting
the case files of 31 former governors.

On the list then were the names of Senate President Bukola
Saraki (a former Governor of Kwara State); former Governor Ali Modu
Sheriff (Borno); and Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio (a
former governor of Akwa Ibom State); and ex-governors Orji Uzor
Kalu (Abia); Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Saminu Turaki (Jigawa);
Sule Lamido (Jigawa); and Joshua Dariye (Plateau).

They also included former governors Ahmed Yerima (Zamfara);
Gabriel Suswam (Benue); James Ibori (Delta); Martin Elechi
(Ebonyi); Danjuma Goje (Gombe); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Ikedi
Ohakim (Imo) and Peter Odili (Rivers).

Obono-Obla told our correspondent on Tuesday that the list had
been updated with the inclusion of new names.

He said the updated list included the name of the Senator
representing Anambra North, Stella Oduah.

“We will request the case files from the EFCC and the ICPC
again,” he said.

But the Head of Media, EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said he would
not take issue with the President’s aide on the allegation that the
commission was not cooperating with the office of the AGF in the
prosecution of high-profile cases.

He said, “I don’t want to take issue with him. I have not read
the interview and I cannot react.”

Also, the spokesperson for the ICPC, Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa,
refused to comment when contacted on the telephone on Tuesday.

Punch

The Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Chief
Okoi Obono-Obla, on Tuesday, alleged that the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices
and other related offences Commission were not cooperating with the
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr.
Abubakar Malami (SAN).

Obono-Obla, in an interview with The PUNCH not TheNigerialawyer,
absolved the AGF of any blame for the losses of the high-profile
corruption cases as the agencies had allegedly defied the
minister’s directives on the cases.

He noted that many of the fraud cases against some former
governors, being handled by the EFCC and the ICPC, had been stalled
at investigation stages for over 10 years.

He cited the example of how both the EFCC and the ICPC defied
the AGF’s request for the duplicate case-files of the high-profile
cases being handled by the agencies.

He said, “Although the Attorney General of the Federation has
the power under both the constitution and the Administration of
Criminal Justice Act 2015 to make a request of any case file that
is pending either with the police, the ICPC, the EFCC or any of the
prosecuting agencies, we met a brick wall when we requested the
files of the high-profile cases of former governors from the EFCC
and the ICPC.

“They don’t cooperate with us. We cannot use a whip to start
beating them, but I expect that the rules of public service require
that if letters are written by the office of the AGF, those letters
should be honoured.

“They don’t want to work with the office of the AGF.”

On what the AGF would do, he said, “We will keep on making the
request so that at the end of the day, anybody, who accuses the
office of the AGF as being responsible for the delay in the
prosecution of criminal cases, then we present our evidence.”

He said the AGF’s office had updated its list of high-profile
cases which the minister requested their files from the
anti-corruption agencies last year.

The PUNCH had exclusively reported in July 2016, that the AGF
had written separate letters to the EFCC and the ICPC requesting
the case files of 31 former governors.

On the list then were the names of Senate President Bukola
Saraki (a former Governor of Kwara State); former Governor Ali Modu
Sheriff (Borno); and Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio (a
former governor of Akwa Ibom State); and ex-governors Orji Uzor
Kalu (Abia); Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Saminu Turaki (Jigawa);
Sule Lamido (Jigawa); and Joshua Dariye (Plateau).

They also included former governors Ahmed Yerima (Zamfara);
Gabriel Suswam (Benue); James Ibori (Delta); Martin Elechi
(Ebonyi); Danjuma Goje (Gombe); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Ikedi
Ohakim (Imo) and Peter Odili (Rivers).

Obono-Obla told our correspondent on Tuesday that the list had
been updated with the inclusion of new names.

He said the updated list included the name of the Senator
representing Anambra North, Stella Oduah.

“We will request the case files from the EFCC and the ICPC
again,” he said.

But the Head of Media, EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said he would
not take issue with the President’s aide on the allegation that the
commission was not cooperating with the office of the AGF in the
prosecution of high-profile cases.

He said, “I don’t want to take issue with him. I have not read
the interview and I cannot react.”

Also, the spokesperson for the ICPC, Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa,
refused to comment when contacted on the telephone on Tuesday.

Punch