In my last intervention, I reviewed the activities of the EFCC within the political ecosystem between 2007 and 2018 as a prelude to what is happening in 2024, the year of Yahaya Bello. However, there are still issues I need to “retouch” to fully “conclude the conclusion.” The audacity of the corrupt, particularly Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), was exemplified by James Ononafe Ibori, who returned from a UK prison to a golden-carpet reception—one of the most extravagant welcome parties in those days.
“Even after Oshiomhole was thrown under the bus, the EFCC and APC faithful upheld his theory. There are, of course, exceptions, such as the case of Okocha.”
I painted the scenario thus: “Our sense of shame quotient has fallen so low that while those who do evil things avoid the light to conceal their deeds (John 3:22-23), Nigerian evildoers covet the spotlight and dance brazenly in the public square. They know that nothing will happen because those who should act either have skeletons in their closets or worship at the same altar. At worst, the individual will decamp from one party to another, and immediately, old things become new (2 Cor. 5:17). The corridors of power are occupied by individuals so tainted that even the devil would hesitate to associate with them, yet they continue to offer public, sanctimonious admonitions” (James Ibori: We Still Have a Long Way to Go, 5/5/17).
“When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong” – Ecclesiastes 8:11.
Moreover, during the 2018 Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Yemi Osinbajo, representing PMB, openly declared his greatest surprise in office: the level of grand corruption within the government. Yet the EFCC failed to act on these corruption cases, which would have multiplied by now. In his heyday as EFCC boss, Ribadu carried out his duties with the messianic airs of a monarch, unmindful of legal dictates (The Nation’s Editorial, 22/3/07). He released a contentious list of the Most Corrupt Governors in September 2006. Today, he works alongside those very individuals, including the “Oga at the Very Top,” the Secretary to the Government, and others in the “house of sin” (Sinnate).
That was the state of affairs until Oshiomhole, a man known for his way with words, propounded his theory. While receiving PDP defectors at the APC Presidential Campaign in Benin on Thursday, 17/1/19, Oshiomhole boldly declared, “Once you join the APC, your sins are forgiven.” As the National Chairman of the APC, he knew what he was talking about, especially given the so-called “integrity overload” of those defecting from the PDP. Even after Oshiomhole was thrown under the bus, the EFCC and APC faithful upheld his theory. There are, of course, exceptions, such as the case of Okocha.
Read also: EFCC and politricks: As it was in the beginning…!
Consider Akpabio, who was first arrested on 16/10/15 over a N108bn “petty fraud” while still in the PDP. He then defected to the APC, became Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and outdid himself in mightier deeds. His case remains pending. The EFCC summoned him in April 2023 over multiple fraud cases, and his lawyer responded that he was overseas treating pneumonia and would return after his “medical tourism.” By that time, Oshiomhole’s theory was fully operational. What about Beta Edu and her predecessor in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs? Or Hadi Sirika, who fooled the world with Nigeria Air, even compromising Ethiopian Airlines, a world-class organisation? Let’s not forget Abubakar Malami, whose children have become some of Nigeria’s biggest entrepreneurs, rising from obscurity. And what about the accused within the BATified government, including Metawale, allegedly a Boko Haram sympathiser? Their sins have been forgiven!
Why hasn’t the EFCC probed oil subsidies, turn-around maintenance schemes, or oil theft? Aside from Emefiele, no one has been held accountable for Buhari’s willful destruction of Nigeria’s economy.
The current discussion arose due to Yahaya Bello. Initially accused of embezzling N80-something billion, the EFCC attempted to arrest him, but he seemingly vanished. The tally is now over N110bn, yet he walked into the EFCC office recently, walked out, and the agency started pursuing him again. How could the EFCC, which snuck in to arrest Okorocha like a thief in the night, fail to detain someone who voluntarily entered their office? Bello even asked the President to intervene, and now his son-Governor leads 15 other governors in challenging the EFCC’s legality.
The EFCC itself has faced legal issues, including operating before the law was passed, and Ibrahim Magu, who “acted” as the EFCC chair for five years, despite Senate rejection, was one of the most notable actors in Nigerian public service.
The EFCC has since shifted focus to what I call “Afghanistanism,” targeting individuals like Bobrisky, Cubana Chief Priest, and other low-hanging fruits, such as Yahoo boys. By the way, why has no EFCC chairman ever left office peacefully? Perhaps because those who ride the tiger often end up in its belly.
Primate Ayodele of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church has added a new dimension to the EFCC quagmire, suggesting that corruption has become so Nigerianized and spiritually rooted that it can no longer be fought with guns, laws, arrests, or technology. He advised that the EFCC chief must be spiritually fortified! You don’t know Ayodele? The man who prophesied that if we voted for BAT, we would see “raw pepper”?
Anyway, EFCC and politricks are inseparable Siamese twins. For those of us who worry about what the EFCC does or fails to do, haven’t you heard of re-looting the loot? This practice, though usually whispered, has not always been secret. For instance, in The Nation (19/4/2010), it was revealed how properties seized from former IG Tafa Balogun and others were sold to fake firms. So why bother about the EFCC? Na dem, dem!
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
