The Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu on Monday, disclosed that the agency had commenced investigation of the former Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke and a close associate of the former Petroleum Minister, Kola Aluko.
The EFCC boss dropped the hint while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes chaired by Honourable Kayode Oladele, to defend its 2016 budget estimates.
The EFCC boss while responding to questions from a member of the committee, Honourable Razak Atunwa on whether the former ministers and Aluko were under investigation, responded in the affirmative.
He also said “very soon, we will go into the petroleum industry”, stressing that, such investigation, “we have to build capacity, we have to bring in experts to enable us tackle what we are doing properly and the investigation must be conducted properly. We have internal lawyers and external lawyers, we have to pay insurance.”
On the agency’s budget the EFCC boss asked the Committee to approve “additional N500 million to assist in our operational activities as more sectors of the economy might likely come under investigative activities during the year.”
The EFCC’s 2016 budget is made up ofN11, 422, 991, 540.00 for capital, and N2, 999,245,761.00 is the overhead component of the recurrent and further requested that “the National Assembly should graciously support a planned recruitment of additional 750 staff of different cadres in 2016.”
The chairman of the committee, Honourable Oladele, in his speech noted the good work the EFCC had done saying the action of the agency had helped the country recover looted funds from former public officers and their cronies in the private sector.
He assured the anti-graft agency of the support of the committee in its fight against corruption.(Tribune)
