AS the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, begins his terminal leave, facts have emerged why President Muhammadu Buhari refused to renew his tenure.
The EFCC chairman has a tenure of five years, which could be renewed.
Sources revealed that the Federal Government wants Lamorde out because of controversies that dogged his tenure. One of these controversies is the issue of over N1 trillion funds recovered from assets seized from convicted public officials.
The Senate had commenced an investigation into the recovered funds, while the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes is set to commence its own probe.
The EFCC has been accused of selective prosecution, since its renewed action on perceived corrupt people. Lamorde was frequently accused by the then opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) of playing to the gallery by going after perceived political enemies of the then President Goodluck Jonathan. Since President Buhari assumed office, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has equally accused the EFCC of going after its members only, leaving out members of the APC, who have peti- tions against them.
Indeed, between May 29, 2015 and date, EFCC had arrested and arraigned such people as former Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa and his sons, former Governor. Suswan of Benue and Chief Ikedi Ohakim, ex-governor of Imo State. Also quizzed was former Akwa Ibom State governor Godswill Akpabio. All these former governors are members of PDP. The only APC member docked was General Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, while no action was taken against such former APC governor, Chi- buike Amaechi (Rivers) and Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), despite several petitions sent to EFCC.
The Halliburton scandal was a reoccurring issue during Lamorde’s tenure. He was advised repeatedly to open investigation and prosecute those involved in the multi- millionaire scam. Again, Lam- orde did not act and observers believed that the anti-graft agency’s refusal to act further dented the image of the coun- try among comity of nations.
Unlike Nuhu Ribadu and Farida Waziri, ex-EFCC chair- man, Lamorde only recorded infinitesimal convictions of politically exposed people. No known political case was successfully concluded and the culprit jailed during his tenure.
Taking all these together, it was gathered that the Presidency decided to let Lamorde go, so that there will be a fresh start in the fight against corruption. Sources revealed that the Buhari government wants a neutral person, who would give EFCC a new face.
Culled from The Sun
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