The Federal Government of Nigeria has responded to popular reports that the presidency order the EFCC to probe the Chairman of the anti-graft body, Ibrahim Lamorde over allegations of corruption.
Ibrahim Lamorde
The Federal Government has debunked media reports, claiming that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been directed to investigate its chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde.
The media was awash with reports on Tuesday that the Federal Ministry of Justice had directed the EFCC to commence investigation into the allegation that Lamorde diverted about N1 trillion proceeds of corruption recovered by the anti-graft agency.
The reports said the request was in response to a petition sent by one George Uboh to the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Abdullahi Yola, who allegedly gave the probe order.
But the Ministry of Justice, in a statement by its spokesperson, Charles Nwodo, acknowledged receiving a petition against Lamorde and other top officials of the EFCC but insisted that the media report was “erroneous and misleading.”
It clarified that what the Ministry did after receiving the petition “as required by the rules of public service and constitutional right to fair hearing” was to pass the petition to Lamorde for response.