Kogi state government has said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC )under the leadership of Abdulrasheed Bawa has derailed from its primary and become political tools in the hands of brutal minds in the pursuit of evil causes
Speaking at a press conference in ilorin,Kogi state Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo said
that "anti-agency has derailed from its primary aim of fighting corruption to becoming the political tool in the hands of brutal minds in the pursuit of evil causes."
"We will not give in to any intimidation or threats by the convicted Abdulrasheed Bawa using the EFCC and taxpayers resources at its disposal to fight personal and proxy battles," he declared.
He also said that the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crime Commission Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa decided to be hunting officials and stakeholders of the government after he failed to nail the government over the N29Billion bailout saga.
He said,"The current display of desperation of Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Chairman of EFCC to paint the Kogi state government and its officials in the colours of corruption at all costs is not unexpected.
"Having failed to make Nigerians believe that a 20 Billion naira bailout loan was placed in a phantom fixed deposit account with Sterling bank Plc,he kissed the dusts of defeat when Sterling bank unequivocally denied under oath that Kogi state owned such an account or such funds."
He added that,"Mr Bawa then rushed to a willing collaborator and a co hater of the judicial system, the Central Bank of Nigeria, which claimed that it has received the "missing "funds from Sterling bank. The CBN has since November 2021 till date provided no clarification to the Kogi state government whose funds it allegedly received from Sterling bank, even after three reminders."
He however said, "we make bold to say that monies to the state government are not missing.Like the "missing" or fixed N20b bailout loan, the recent attempt is a political tool to silence the governor and distract him from the task of garnering support for the election of the APC Presidential candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Asiwaju Tinubu."
He therefore condemned what he described as the media trial, blackmail, and reckless intimidation of Kogi state government officials , their families and associates by the leadership of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
He equally defended the wife of the state governor declared at large by the anti-graft agency, explaining that "she was not invited in the first instance, the First Lady is very much available."
The commissioner also said that, "as a government with utmost respect for the rule of law, we see the EFCC chairman as a convict, he has been convicted by a high court, a court of competent jurisdiction and that conviction is yet to be set aside or vacated by the court or higher court."
Reacting to the court action on the naira swap by three APC governors including Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, the information commissioner, said the action was borne out of the need to defend the survival and economic rights of Nigerians.
"As a government of the people, the Kogi state government teamed up with the government of Kaduna and Zamfara states and proceeded to the Supreme Court which in the interim restrained the CBN from enforcing the deadline for the validity of the naira notes as legal tender.
"The CBN, like its collaborator-in-chief, the EFCC, ignored and disobeyed the ruling therefore undermining the authority of the apex court of the land," he added.
He also said that,"We are not unaware of a high level conspiracy to gag more voices on the side of the party in power. But we shall continue to fight injustice and discrimination across the country Bawa and Emefiele cannot stop the political victory ahead."
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