Newspapers review: EFCC takes Anti-graft war further, sends Interpol after suspects

– Sporadic shooting continues in Rivers state

– EFCC sends interpol after fleeing suspects

– Former petroleum minister resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke denies oil swap reports

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken the ongoing anti-corruption war further by sending officers of the global police organisation interpol after suspects who have been indicted for graft.

The Guardian reports that a source within the agency made the disclosure on February 23, saying such indicted persons who have escaped from Nigeria would certainly be caught and prosecuted.

The source said: “There is no hiding place. Interpol is helping in fishing them out.”

The EFCC and the Association of Chief Audit Executives of Banks in Nigeria have agreed to improve collaboration in the area of financial investigations both in Nigeria and outside the country. They lamented that some Asian countries have not been assisting the auditors with their investigations.

The anti-graft agency has assured Nigerians that it has the capacity to prosecute everyone so far arrested, interrogated and detained in the on-going $2.1 billion arms scandal. The agency explained that some of the accused persons have not been charged to court because investigations are still ongoing.

The Guardian newspaper

As the war against corruption lingers on, The Punch reports that the former minister of interior, Abba Morro, has landed in the radar of the EFCC.

The EFCC said in a statement by its head of media and publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said the former minister allegedly defrauded job seekers of N676, 675,000 during the 2014 Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment that cuts short the lives of about 20 applicants.

The commission said N1, 000 was allegedly extorted from each applicant through e-payment for the online application. The commission said Moro will be arraigned on 11 counts bordering on obtaining money by false pretences, procurement fraud and money laundering.

The EFCC identified those to be arraigned alongside the former minister to include Anastasia Nwobia, F.O. Alayebami and Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited. The accused persons are alleged to have contravened the Public Procurement Act No. 65 of 2007 in the contract awards by deviating from the procedure laid down by the government.

The Punch newspaper

The Nation reports that the anti-graft agency on February 23 said the former minister and four other persons who are to stand trial for allegedly collecting fraudulently N676.6million from 676,675 job seekers spent the said money on choice property.

The commission said N202,500,000 was spent on buying No. 1, Lahn Crescent, Maitama, Abuja and N120, 100,000 was spent on the upgrade of No.2, Sigure Close, Off Monrovia Street, Wuse II Abuja.

The anti-graft watch dog also disclosed that the recruitment firm, Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited and Mahmood Ahmadu converted N101, 200,000 to US dollars for personal use.

Recall that 19 applicants died while several others sustained injuries in a stampede that occurred in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Minna in March 2014 during the ill-fated recruitment. The EFCC yesterday filed 11 charges against Moro and four other accused persons at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Nation newspaper

Vanguard in a similar report revealed that the former minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has described the narratives of her former group managing directors, GMDs, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) with regard to the ongoing legislative probe of the oil swap and OPA deals as fabricated tissues of lies.

Mr. Austin Oniwon and Mr Andrew Yakubu, during their appearances before the legislators last week, Oniwon who was GMD, NNPC, from May 17, 2010 to June 12, 2012, and Yakubu, June 12, 2012, to August 2, 2014, said Alison-Madueke had granted them approvals for contracts extension.

In a response to their assertion, the former minister who is currently battling cancer denied claims that she approved $24 billion for Renewal of the Crude Oil/Refined Products Exchange Agreement, otherwise called oil swap deals without contracts.

Alison-Madueke also rejected reports, which claimed that she granted an “extension” instead of “Approval” for the Renewal of Contracts’ for the swap arrangements. She described the latest allegation as “fabricated tissues of lies deviously concocted to sustain the escalating evil narratives against her person.”

Vanguard newspaper

Moving away from anti-graft war, Daily Sun reports that five persons were killed on February 23, during a raid on the house of a former militant leader, Solomon Ndigbara (also known as Osama Bin Laden) in Yeghe community, in Gokana local government area of Rivers state.

The house was raided by military personnel after a heavy gun battle with militants suspected to be supporters of Ndigbara. A source disclosed that many people have been killed in the on-going gun battle in the area.

The source said Bori is now a ghost town, as soldiers have taken over the area regarded as the traditional headquarters of Ogoni people.

The development has led to the closure of the state-owned Ken Saro Wiwa polytechnic in Bori, headquarters of Khana local government area of the state.

Ndigbara, who reacted to the incident in a press briefing in Port Harcourt on February 23 through his media aide, Dum Nwine, accused Senator Magnus Abe and one Barry Mpigi of masterminding the attacks against him. He also accused the Federal Government of labeling him a gun-runner in order to drag his name to the mud.

Daily Sun newspaper

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