The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari may have scored a bull’s eye in beaming searchlight on corruption that has held the country down over the years. Before now, the
Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) operated like an overlord and breathed down heavily on real and perceived corrupt elements. No one dared the Commission!
During the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Nuhu Ribadu-led EFCC was accused of intimidation of political opponents of the former president. On many occasions, names were reeled out as those who were under the radar of the anti-graft agency. They were named, but never shamed! Most of those accused of corruptly enriching themselves were not punished; cases against them were dropped in shrouded circumstances and they walked home to enjoy their loots.
Over the years, Nigerians have been regaled with stories of recovering of looted monies stashed away in foreign banks. Critics allege that the more loot that is being recovered, the more it is being re-looted even by those charged with the responsibility of recovering and securing the common wealth.
Analysts say the ongoing allegation of massive re-looting of recovered loots against Ibrahim Lamorde, chairman, EFCC, is as shocking as it is revealing. They also believe that if the allegations are proven to be true in the end, the anti-corruption fight would have suffered a terrible dislocation.
The EFCC chairman is currently in the eye of the storm over an alleged unremitted N2trillion to the Federal Government. George Uboh, chief executive officer, Panic Alert Security System (PASS), had petitioned the Senate to compel Lamorde to remit over N2 trillion to the Federal Government coffers.
Uboh, who appeared before the Senate Ethics and Privileges Committee last week, presented documents to back up his claim, positing that the Commission doctored its own records to conceal diversion.
He clarified that although he petitioned former President Goodluck Jonathan on the issue, nothing was done about it.
Documents presented include: summary of EFCC monetary recoveries 2003-March, 2013; EFCC’s audited financial statement in 2010; letter of former EFCC Chairman, Farida Waziri to Jonathan in 2011, a letter from the Accountant General of the Federation to the Chairman, House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes; mandate letter from the Bayelsa State Government amongst others.
Uboh alleged that the Commission diverted and concealed N779 million of recoveries from former Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun in its record, which he explained should be N3,037,255,521.60 and not N2,258,100,516.98 as claimed by the anti-corruption agency.
According to him, in three years, the Commission recovered over N975billion for various levels of government and private entities.
He gave the breakdown of the recovery to include: N650billion from Banking; N3.5billion from Taxation; N36billion from Local Businesses; N36billion from Multi-National Penalties as well as N136billion from other forfeitures.
While presenting a mandate letter from the Bayelsa State Government dated November 19, 2013, he said the Chairman used his paraphernalia of office to intimidate the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson who withdrew the letter and disassociated himself from him (Uboh) despite an earlier agreement between them.
Uboh also alleged that over 95percent of recovered loots oversees were diverted, saying the Commission colludes with estate agents to undervalue confiscated properties.   Non-remittance of the fund, he said, violates Section 36 of EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.
Citing several cases of non-remittance of funds, he gave the breakdown of un-remitted funds between 2003 to 2013 to include:
2003—N974,783,213:06
2004—N21,018,557,263:28
2005—N71,053,996,008:60
2006—N8,199,908,189:03
2007—N41,479,032,319:70
2008—N44,542,822,622:30
2009—N255,306,693,033:55
2010—N10,559,513,355:91
2011—N11,117,460,717:88
2012—N27,844,769,688:19
2013—N5,287,891,074:13
The petitioner said he approached former Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, whose monies and properties were also confiscated and he confirmed that not all his seized properties were disclosed by the Commission.
“In 2010, CBN’s EFCC account had a balance of N3.3million; however, it did not appear in the audited account for same year.
“The 2009 balance on EFCC account with the CBN as reflected in AGF’s letter to House Committee Chairman had N6billion; however, the audited account for same year had N5.6billion. Certainly, the N6billion is not included in the audited report because 6Billion cannot be contained in N5.6 billion,” he said.
Uboh who swore under oath before making his presentation, said: “If the evidence I have presented is fake, arrest me in 30 days. If it is genuine, arrest Lamorde”.
However, Lamorde failed to turn up at the probe, as he wrote letter to the Committee, asking for time to respond.
But the EFCC has since pooh-poohed the allegations, describing the petitioner as a man on a mission to cast an aspersion on the good job of the commission, in the wake of its onslaught against plunderers of the nation’s commonwealth. He was also accused of being used by certain elements in political circles to settle some scores and that he, himself, is also being investigated by the anti-graft Commission. This much was said by Wilson Uwajaren, head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, during a television interview monitored in Lagos.
Debo Adeniran, executive chairman, Coalition against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), believes that Bukola Saraki, Senate president, may not be unconnected with the allegations levelled against Lamorde.
Adeniran, who made the assertion in an interview with BD SUNDAY, said it was not a mere coincidence that the likes of Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West, who accompanied Toyin Saraki, wife of the Senate President to the office of the EFCC when she was summoned by the Commission for questioning are the same lawmakers in charge of the committee investigating the embattled EFCC’s boss.
According to him, “The fact of the matter is that the Senate investigation is misplaced and unfounded. Lamorde has been with the EFCC from inception. That the Senate, did not deem it fit to even investigate any other person since its inauguration, including members of its own house that have corruption cases on their neck who they put in principle offices, is a pointer to where all this is coming from. We call to questioning the investigation they say they want to carry out. And why are they in a hurry if they are supposed to investigate? There are so many questions. Why is it that it was shortly after the wife of the Senate President was arraigned? Why can’t they wait; because by every September, the EFCC makes a report to the National Assembly on what they have done; and use the opportunity to question Lamorde if monies recovered were up to one trillion naira?”
Adeniran further said that the Senate ought to have done its own calculation and then tell the whole world that the amount of money the EFCC have recovered was up to the amount the Senate have mentioned, and added that the petition against Lamorde before the Senate did not go through house process.
“We are still doing our preliminary studies and doing our independent investigation on the whole matter. By the time we are through with our investigation, we will make our findings known to Nigerians and the world,” he said. Uboh has dismissed the insinuation that he was being used by the Senate President, saying that he had been on the case since 2013.
Yinka Odumakin, national publicity secretary, Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, said the corruption allegation currently rocking the EFCC is not new to those not in a hurry to forget history and that once money has been stolen, it is futile to start chasing it in the name of recovery because it will end up in the coffers of another set of corrupt individuals.
“Where is the money recovered from Abacha loots? Has the money been accounted for? For me, the latest noise in the EFCC is none issue. My response to the speculation that Saraki may be responsible for the current ordeal of Ibrahim Lamorde following the recent arraignment of Toyin Saraki by the EFCC is that if Lamorde has any score to settle with Saraki, he should face it squarely. If Lamorde is being investigated at a time like this by the Senate because he invited Saraki’s wife for questioning, he should be able to clear himself of any wrong doing. While Toyin is answering her charge, Lamorde should be answering his,” he said.
Responding to the media speculations that efforts are currently being made to unseat the EFCC boss, he said: “In our own jurisprudence, an accused person is considered innocent until proven guilty. Allegation alone is not enough ground to sack him.”       
It would be recalled that in July this year, the EFCC invited Toyin Saraki, for questioning over the inflow of funds into companies where she has interests and was accompanied to the commission’s headquarters by a number of serving senators loyal to the husband.
Saraki is also yet to be cleared of eight charges of fraud by the EFCC, which he has denied. The charges relates to his role at the defunct Society General Bank of Nigeria and his tenure as governor of Kwara State for eight years.
While a group in the Senate, Unity Forum, has described the probe as illegal, unconstitutional, null and void and a breach of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 (as amended), the leadership of the upper legislative chamber said the insinuation that Lamorde’s ordeals were masterminded by Saraki was the “handiwork of enemies of the 8th Senate”.
According to the Unity Forum, in a standard parliamentary practice, a petition passes through either a senator or a member of the House of Representatives.
A statement signed by Senators George Akume, Abu Ibrahim, Barnabas Gemade and Ahmad Lawan argued that due process was not followed in filing the petition.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Rule 41(1-3 of the Senate Standing Orders specifically spell out how petitions are handled in the parliament.
“Rule 41(1-3) states: (1) A petition must only be presented to the Senate by a Senator, who shall affix his name at the beginning thereof.
“We stand against this probe. It is illegal and unconstitutional because it did not follow our rules,” the statement reads in part.
Dino Melaye, who spoke for the Senate leadership, clarified that Order 103 of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 (as amended states that “In the exercise of the powers conferred on the National Assembly by Section 88 and 89 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Senate shall have power to direct or cause to be directed an investigation into any matter.”
“The allegation is false and could only have emanated from the imagination of those who do not want the 8th Senate to succeed. The Committee also wishes to state that the Senate will not be blackmailed into abandoning its constitutional mandate,” he said.
Larmode from Adamawa State, has, cumulatively, spent 12 years at the EFCC. He was appointed director of operations in 2003 under Nuhu Ribadu’s leadership of the agency. He was then made acting chairman in January 2008 after his boss’ controversial removal.
He handed over to Farida Waziri in May 2008, but was again appointed director of operations of the commission in December 2010.
On the removal of Mrs. Waziri in November 2011, he was named acting chairman and confirmed substantive head of the agency in February 2012.
Zebulon Agomuo, NATHANIEL AKHIGBE & Owede Agbajileke

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