Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Wednesday accused the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, of witchhunting.
The outspoken governor said the EFCC boss is using the Paris club refund investigation to “blackmail” governors.
This is contained in a statement made available by his special assistant on new media, Lere Olayinka.
Fayose pointed to the case of the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’Forum (NGF), Governor Abdulazeez Yari of Zamfara state.
He opined that the governor, by virtue of his position as a governor and head of other governors should have been accorded more respect by the EFCC.
According to him, the Paris Club refunds was occasioned by the Federal Government’s illegal conversion of funds belonging to the States and Local Governments for its own purposes.
He expressed shock at the FG turning around to give strictures on money that isn’t its oto start with.
“It is like a man stealing your money and now coming back to give you conditions to refund the money he stole and also telling you how to spend the money,” he said.
“This persistent media trial is the reason EFCC has lost most of the high-profile corruption cases at the law courts.
“For instance, EFCC was the one that investigated and it was the one that went to court to file ex-parte application, seeking interim forfeiture of N500m and $500,000 it claimed was looted from the Paris Club refunds. No defence from any of the accused.
“Yet, Governor Yari is already being presented to the public as a thief by the EFCC. This irresponsibility must stop because these attacks on the person of NGF chairman by Magu and by extension the entire governors in Nigeria must stop,” he said.
