Monday, 11 Jun 2007
Return loot or face trial, EFCC tells ex-governors
Musikilu Mojeed, Abuja
There were indications in Abuja on Sunday that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had given some former governors being probed for alleged corruption the option of refunding their loot or risk being prosecuted.
A top official of the commission told our correspondent that the directive was handed down to the former governors after some of them were interrogated last week.
Those said to have been quizzed were Dr. Peter Odili (Rivers); Chief Lucky Igbinedion (Edo); Chief James Ibori (Delta); Mr. Jolly Nyame (Taraba); and Chief Uzor Kalu (Abia).
Others said to have been invited by the anti-graft commission but failed to turn up as at Friday were Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Chief Joshua Dariye (Plateau); Alhaji Saminu Turaki (Jigawa); Mr. Boni Haruna (Adamawa); Mr. George Akume (Benue); and one unnamed former governor.
Dariye and Nnamani are believed to have fled the country. None of them showed up at the venues of the inauguration of their successors in Jos and Enugu on May 29, 2007.
Nnamani, a senator-elect on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, also did not turn up during the inauguration of the Senate on Tuesday.
Akume, now a senator on the platform of the PDP vied for the post of the President of the Senate but lost to Senator David Mark.
It was learnt that those who failed to honour the invitation might be declared wanted by the EFCC.
Our source claimed that after the former governors, who honoured the invitation, were confronted with the allegations against them, they were asked to choose between refunding their loot and being prosecuted for corruption.
The source said, ”Almost all the former governors we invited came as directed except those of them who fled the country. Akume and one other whose name I can‘t immediately remember are also yet to report.
“We showed them the cases we have against them after which we interviewed them on the allegations. Most of them were shocked by the weight of the allegations against them. To be fair to them, some of them were sober during interrogation.
“So, we have given them a choice. We have asked them to refund what they stole or we will take them to court.”
Asked whether any of the former governors agreed to make a refund, the official said, “They have asked us to give them some time to take a decision. We expect them to get back to us latest next week.
“But we are not waiting for them. Our operations and legal departments are already comparing notes so that we can get the necessary papers ready. Once any of them displays unwillingness to make a refund, we will take him to court.”
Another source in the EFCC, however, said that the top hierarchy of the commission had become increasingly uncomfortable with the ”excessive closeness” of some of the former governors to President Umaru Yar‘Adua.
He said that a management meeting of the commission was called two weeks ago to explore ways of dealing with the former governors without offending Yar‘Adua.
The source disclosed that it was at the meeting that the decision to summon the former governors was taken.
He said, ”We could not move against the former governors immediately they left office because we did not want to destabilise the polity. We wanted the President to settle down first.
“But we became uncomfortable when we realised that some of the people we are investigating are close to the President. So, we did not know how the President will react if we move against them. After considering several options, we decided to invite them for interrogation.”
Efforts by our correspondent to speak with the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Osita Nwajah, on the development were unsuccessful.
The British Broadcasting Corporation News, however, quoted the EFCC Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, as saying that those who failed to honour the invitation would be declared wanted.
”When the deadline(Friday) lapses, we will declare them wanted according to our laws. We will obtain warrants and arrest them wherever they are found,” Ribadu said.
He explained that the EFCC would work towards having those on the run extradited to answer graft and money laundering charges.
Ribadu said,”They( former governors) used to have constitutional immunity. Now they no longer have that. We have invited them to come, but if they don‘t, then we may have to take tougher steps.
”We shall declare those on the run wanted and try to have them extradited or have them tried wherever they have gone to.”
EFCC: Return Loot, or Face Trial! Ex-Governors 
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