The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership has called on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to hand over the probe of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and the embattled Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayodele Oke, to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, respectively.
The Executive Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran, in a statement on Saturday, noted that there was no need for Buhari to set up a three-man committee headed by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, arguing that the ICPC and EFCC were available and capable of investigating allegations against the two government officials.
According to him, the members of the committee set up by the President have more important works to do.
Adeniran said, “The Vice President, for example, has a lot of executive roles to play in supporting the President who is aged and cannot do much running around.
“The Attorney General of the Federation also has a lot of work to do prosecuting cases for the Federal Government, supervising the anti-corruption agencies, other law enforcement bodies and advising the executive on legal issues.
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“For instance, the case of Ambassador Oke is a financial crime, so his case is expected to be transferred to the EFCC. By hoarding the now recovered money (both local and foreign currencies) Oke is deemed to have committed a form of economic sabotage as he has denied people who needed money for legitimate business access to fund.
“Keeping government money in his wife’s private apartment is a financial crime, for which we believe he and his wife, who is not an NIA operative, as well as his other accomplices, which may include the past president (Goodluck Jonathan) and officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria, should be interrogated and, if necessary, prosecuted and adequately punished to serve as a deterrent to others.”
