EFCC to Declare Ali Modu Sheriff Wanted

• Flays Ibekaku over allegations of poor performance

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has disclosed that it will soon declare a former governor of Borno State,  Senator Ali Modu Sheriff wanted.

Ali Modu Sheriff

Addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday, the commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said Sheriff refused to honour the invitation for him to appear before the commission was not honoured.

Uwujaren said: “The EFCC  invited him (Sheriff) but he didn’t turn up. We have two options; we might declare him wanted.”

He hinted that the refusal of Sheriff to appear before the commission was a grave offence and misconduct, and would not be taken lightly by the EFCC.

He also lambasted the Enugu State All Progressives Congress (APC)  deputy governorship candidate in the last elections, Ms. Juliet Ibekaku, over allegations of non-performance against the commission.

Ibekaku was said to have accused the EFCC of poor performance in the just concluded APC Policy Dialogue held in Abuja.

But Uwujaren said Ibekaku,  “a failed APC deputy governorship candidate in Enugu State, has been using her participation in the APC to fire broadsides at EFCC.

“She was applauded by her audience, who mistook her intervention for altruism. Unknown to them, what drives Ibekaku is neither party nor national interest. Rather she is galvanised by a burning, selfish desire to run down the EFCC because she was dismissed from the commission for gross misconduct.”

Contrary to Ibekaku’s allegations that in the past eight years EFCC has not convicted any governor or recovered assets, the commission further listed several convictions recorded and confiscation of properties involving former governors and other public officials.

The EFCC listed former governors who have been convicted to include DSP Alamieseigha and Lucky Igbinedion. While the properties of Chimaroke Nnamani, Orji Kalu,  Joshua Dariye, James Ibori, Abubakar Audu, Rev. Jolly Nyame and Ayo Fayose have been confiscated.

According to Uwujaren, “the obvious goal of Ibekaku is to hoodwink unsuspecting Nigerians by her posturing as an anti-corruption czar,  what with her curriculum vitae that advertises her as a top official of the EFCC, where she spent about seven years of her recent adult working life.

“Ibekaku has declared war on the commission for simply telling Nigerians she was no longer in the service of the EFCC,  contrary to her posturing.”

The EFCC also accused Ibekaku of engaging “one Emmanuel Onwubiko of the so-called Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) to mudsling the commission.”

He observed that “Onwubiko in his many blind interventions at Ibekaku’s behest claimed variously that she was dismissed because she was from the South-east and for advocating for an independence for the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).

“Lately, she has modified those positions to include the fallacy that the commission is after Ibekaku because she is being considered for a ministerial position or even the chairmanship of EFCC.”

Meanwhile, the EFCC said the commission was pleased with anti-corruption stance of the president – elect, Muhammadu Buhari, as he will help to empower the EFCC more to fight corruption.

Uwujaren told journalists in Abuja that “we are pleased that Muhammadu Buhari is coming with the message of anti-corruption as his cardinal point, which every Nigerian should be proud of.

“This will empower us the more. Everyone should be proud of that, we welcome the focus on corruption by the incoming government,” he said.

EFCC to Declare Ali Modu Sheriff Wanted