…Challenges EFCC to do its job
…Says Oshiomhole was credited with boasting he is shielded from EFCC investigation as a member of APC
…Says “my action is to help President Muhammadu Buhari and EFCC to fight corruption holistically”
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]an of God, Bishop Anthony Osadolor Ochei who is asking an Abuja Federal High Court to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate corruption allegations against former Edo State governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole says his action was a result of the anti-graft agency’s failure to do its job.Bishop Ochei, also a human rights activist made the clarification on Sunday at a press conference in Benin City, Edo state capital, saying he was only asking the commission to do its job by investigating the petitions he and other concerned citizens of Edo state wrote to the commission, alleging fraudulent practices against Oshiomhole while he served as governor of the state.
The clergyman told journalists that he was surprised that two years down the road the EFCC was yet to investigate a petition he wrote to it against Mr. Adams Oshiomhole even as a governor in October 2016.
He said, “my action is to help President Muhammadu Buhari and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to fight corruption holistically; sections 6(b) (h) and 13 (2) of the EFCC act of 2004 gives the commission the mandate to receive and investigate petitions.”
“I wrote the petition asking EFCC to investigate allegations against Oshiomhole to the commission head office at Abuja on October 28 2016 and it was acknowledged on 4th November 2016.
“To create awareness about the publication I published it in two pages of the Daily Sun Newspapers of November 7 2016 while he was still in office as governor.”
The activist said when EFCC failed to take action on the petition he wrote a reminder letter titled, “Re: Petition to investigate serial corruption against Adams Oshiomhole,” dated December 13 2016, which was duly acknowledged even as the commission remained adamant.
He said at a time Oshiomhole was credited with such statements akin to the EFCC never investigating any petition against him as long as he is a member of the ruling party – APC; giving the erroneous impression that he has induced the commission.
Ochei who expressed frustration about being unable to see the EFCC chairman despite repeated trips to the EFCC office, Abuja said he has sent bag loads of all the 86 relevant documents or exhibits to back up his allegations at grave personal costs, all to no avail.
In conclusion he said his recourse to the Federal High court is to ask for an order of the court to compel the commission to initiate investigations into his petition because the extant EFCC laws require the Commission to so act.
