EFCC threatened with court action if it fails to prosecute former Bauchi State governor

ECONOMIC and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials have been threatened with legal action by the Coalition Against Financial Crimes and Injustice (Cafci) if it does not prosecute the former Bauchi State governor Mohammed Abubakar for fraud while in office.

On May 29, Governor Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress (APC) left office after being defeated in the March gubernatorial elections by Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Cafci has insisted that the EFCC should now prosecute the former governor over fraudulent acts and corrupt practices he allegedly committed while in office.

Cafci chairman Alhaji Dogo Bibi, said: “We have filed several petitions to the commission against various alleged corrupt practices by the former governor. We have many copies of acknowledgement as evidence to show that the commission received our petitions but they have remained silent.

“We don’t know why the EFCC are still silent over the issue. If they are unable to investigate him because he has immunity at that time, now that he left office, he has no immunity for that he should be prosecuted or else we will be left with no option but to sue the commission and its chairman so that a court will compel them to investigate and prosecute the former governor."

He added that some of the petitions filed by the anti-graft group included one involving N4bn, the governor allegedly took without the approval of the state lawmakers. Others included allegations of fraudulent acts related to fertiliser purchases, hajj operations and the award of contracts without following due process.

Alhaji Dogo stated that the contract were awarded when Governor Abubakar had no state executive council. He also listed the former governor’s inability to provide the 500 tractors he claimed to have bought for farmers in the state and the 60 buses he claimed to have purchased for the Yankari Transport Corporation, insisting that the tractors and buses were not delivered.

“We are not happy with the lukewarm attitude of the anti-graft commission because their refusal to prosecute the former governor will definitely put a dent and bring disrepute to the President Muhammadu Buhari much-touted anti-corruption fight before Nigerians and the international community. We have given a two-week ultimatum to the EFCC to show cause why they refused to prosecute the former governor in a court of competent jurisdiction, without which we will be left no option than to drag the anti-graft commission and its chairman to court.”