The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Ilorin paraded 19 suspected vote buyers arrested during the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.
Michael Nzekwe, the acting Zonal Head of EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Office, said that the suspects were paraded at the commission’s Head office located at GRA, Ilorin.
Nzekwe said mandate of the commission was to ensure that money influence in politics was totally cut out and eradicated.
“The suspects were directly involved in vote-buying. We got credible intelligence and we acted on those intelligence.
”Some were arrested in Omu-Aran, Ilorin South, and Ilorin West; we were all over the state,” Nzekwe said.
He added that investigation would commence immediately and provisions of the law would be followed afterwards.
”Though, they were picked in different locations across the state with money and Point on Sales (PoS) machines found in their possession, but we will carry out further investigation.
”We are an agency set up by law and we will strictly go with the provisions of the law after we have concluded investigation,” the acting Zonal Head said.
EFCC Arraigns Professor Uche Edwin Over Alleged N1.4 Billion Fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned Professor Uche Chigozie Edwin for an alleged fraud of N1.4 billion at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Edwin was arraigned alongside two of his firms.
This was disclosed in a statement issued via the commission’s official Twitter handle on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
According to the statement, Edwin was arraigned in Court on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, retention, and conversion of funds.
EFCC Arraigns Professor, Firms for Alleged N1.4bn Fraud In Lagos
The Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC, on March 16, 2023, arraigned one Prof. Uche Chigozie Edwin for an alleged N1.4bn fraud before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos. pic.twitter.com/RC6QYUzziI
— EFCC Nigeria (@officialEFCC) March 16, 2023
The statement reads: “The Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC, on March 16, 2023, arraigned one Prof. Uche Chigozie Edwin for an alleged N1.4 billion fraud before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
“Edwin was arraigned alongside his companies, Visionary Integrated Consulting Limited, NEMAD Associates Limited, and Revamp Global Enterprise on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, retention, and conversion of funds to the tune of N1,473,367,046.04.”
EXPOSED: Bawa ‘Under Pressure’ As 6 Senior EFCC Staff Caught In Age Falsification
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is presently enmeshed in a ‘nauseating’ scandal involving its senior officers over age falsification.
PRNigeria gathered that six senior staff of the commission who falsified their age records (dates of birth) have been detected, during a promotion interview for senior EFCC operatives.
It is reliably gathered that Abdulrasheed Bawa, Chairman of EFCC, is under pressure to give the accused officers a ‘soft-landing’.
A credible source told PRNigeria that the EFCC staff who allegedly falsified their ages were trying to confer an ‘unfair advantage’ to themselves over their colleagues, who also participated in the interview exercise.
“The offence of the six senior officers bordered on forgery and conferring unfair advantage to themselves.
“And they did so by altering their dates of birth in their personal files,” the source said.
According to the source, who asked not to be named, the identified senior operatives of the Commission involved in the age racketeering scandal, were hoping that they would get their years in the service extended, beyond their retirement ages.
Checks by PRNigeria indicate that some senior EFCC officers who were discovered to have altered their birth records in the past were punished with demotions to lower levels or outright retirement from the service.
According to EFCC law, any person involved in forgery shall be sanctioned and prosecuted for falsifying/altering official records for personal gain or any other offence.
Another top management staff of the EFCC, while speaking to PRNigeria on the recent scandal, said: “Our Chairman, Mr. Bawa is more concerned about protecting the integrity of our Commission and its staff and he will surely be in a dilemma if such allegations are established against some of our best staff.
“This is because some of the accused senior officers are very good at their job and they did not forge certificates of qualifications and experience. In addition, the so-called age falsification is yet to be established against any one of them as they are still very innocent.”
