The world's biggest looter of public treasury is a Nigerian. You are perhaps now wondering: is it Mr. Ibrahim Babangida? Well, the Senate President, Ken Nnamani denied Nigerians of that knowledge on the floor of the Senate when he quickly stopped the EFCC czar, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, from giving out the identity.
But for the Senate President, Nigerians would have known which of their leaders is considered by global fraud investigations as the world's biggest white collar thief
Ribadu at the plenary session of the Senate yesterday, disclosed that an investigation by his commission and some foreign security agencies shared that the person who had looted the public treasury most in the whole world was a Nigerian.
This claim prompted Senator Joy Emordi (PDP, Anambra) to demand specific from Ribadu, who had earlier boldly announced the names of some state governors as being probed for alleged corruption.
Upon the request, Ribadu removed a piece of paper from his file and was about speaking when Nnamani interjected and told the EFCC chairman not the speak.
The Senate President directed the attention of the Assembly to the fact that Ribadu was invited to address specific issues and that there was no need for other matters.
Ribadu at the plenary session of the Senate yesterday, disclosed that an investigation by his commission and some foreign security agencies shared that the person who had looted the public treasury most in the whole world was a Nigerian.
This claim prompted Senator Joy Emordi (PDP, Anambra) to demand specific from Ribadu, who had earlier boldly announced the names of some state governors as being probed for alleged corruption.
Upon the request, Ribadu removed a piece of paper from his file and was about speaking when Nnamani interjected and told the EFCC chairman not the speak.
The Senate President directed the attention of the Assembly to the fact that Ribadu was invited to address specific issues and that there was no need for other matters.
Also, the EFCC chief said no fewer than 23 state governors are being investigated for stealing public funds.
Among the 23 governors, 15, who have “very strong cases,” will also be tried.
Although Ribadu was silent on the 15 governors that will face trial, he named former governors Chris Ngige (Anambra); Alhaji Mohammed Lawal (Kwara); and Alhaji Abubakar Audu (Kogi); as those to be prosecuted.
Ngige is being investigated for alleged embezzlement of funds through fraudulent contracts.
Ribadu said that the EFCC was liaising with the British authorities to extradite Audu to face criminal charges against him.
The EFCC chairman also confirmed that Patience, the wife of the Bayelsa State Governor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, was being investigated for money laundering.
The governors who are being investigated are: Orji Kalu (Abia); Bola Tinubu (Lagos); Peter Odili (Rivers); James Ibori (Delta); Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom); Gbenga Daniel (Ogun); and Ayo Fayose (Ekiti).
Also on the list are Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Sam Egwu (Ebonyi); Achike Udenwa (Imo);George Akume (Benue); Joshua Dariye (Plateau); and Ahmed Sani (Zamfara).
The rest are: Boni Haruna (Adamawa); Adamu Mu’azu (Bauchi); Modu Sheriff (Borno); Saminu Turaki (Jigawa); Ibrahim Idris (Kogi); Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano); Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna); Atahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto); and Jolly Nyame (Taraba).
Giving details of the corruption by the governors, Ribadu said that Kalu’s case was among the most loathsome.
Kalu, according to him, used members of his family, including his aged mother, to channel over N45bn meant for Abia State into private businesses.
In Adamawa State, Ribadu said Haruna colluded with the chairmen of 19 local government councils to divert statutory allocations.
“We have concluded arrangements to charge the governor and the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs to court,” he added.
Attah, according to him, is being investigated for a similar offence.
Mu’azu is being investigated by the EFCC for alleged contract inflation while Akume and some senior members of his government are also being probed for embezzlement.
“In fact, the case of Benue is a very pathetic one because the governor went into the office of the state commissioner of police and physically beat up our officers and forcefully seized some files they were using for investigations,” Ribadu said.
In Borno State, he added that the governor and the local council chairmen were being investigated for allegedly diverting funds.
He said that although his commission was not investigating the Cross River State Governor, Mr. Donald Duke, two local councils were being investigated for embezzlement of public funds.
Ibori and 13 local councils are being investigated for various charges of corruption and diversion of public funds.
According to Ribadu, the EFCC compiled a 32-page report on alleged fund diversion and contract inflation by Nnamani.
He said, “We are ready to go to court in the case of Enugu. The governor withheld money meant for local councils and was even paying local governments’ statutory allocations in cash rather than lodging them into their accounts which made it easy for him to divert the money.”
He added that the EFCC had also uncovered cases of overpricing of contracts by over 70 per cent in Enugu State in addition to some illegally acquired assets both in Nigeria and abroad by the governor.
In Ebonyi State, Ribadu added that four local councils were also being investigated for alleged misappropriation of public funds.
He said Fayose and his deputy, Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi, were also investigated for “illegal diversion of funds, money laundering, and operation of foreign accounts.”
The EFCC chairman said that in Imo State, Udenwa engaged in the extortion of N56m from each of the state’s 24 local councils as contribution for a road construction project that was abandoned a long time ago.
He said, “One of the local government chairmen in Imo and a female lawyer, who were involved in the bribery, have already been charged to court.
“We have done exhaustive investigations in Imo and I want to say that it is one of those states that we’ll soon be going to court.”
In Jigawa State, Ribadu alleged that Turaki had “stolen public money to send people on pilgrimage to Mecca.”
He said that the Kwara State former governor, Lawal was being investigated for alleged diversion of funds.
In Kogi and Katsina states, it is some local government councils that are being investigated. But in Kano and Kaduna, the governors, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau and Mohammed Makarfi, are being investigated for misappropriation of public funds.
In Lagos State, Ribadu said the governor and the local government councils were also being investigated for alleged diversion of funds.
And in Niger; Nasarawa; Ondo; Osun and Oyo, it is only the local councils that are being investigated.
Ribadu said that the Plateau State House of Assembly “directly took money from the state government in collusion with the governor (Dariye).”
Ribadu said that the Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili, was also being investigated along with three local council chairmen for alleged embezzlement and diversion of public funds.
In Sokoto, he added, Bafarawa and an unnamed individual were being investigated while the Zamfara Governor, Alhaji Sani Yerima, and some top members of his government were already standing trial.
Ribadu said, “The case of Zamfara is a tragedy.
“I mean direct stealing from the safe. Direct stealing, no third party; outright stealing by the governor himself.”
He added that in Taraba, the EFCC had established that Nyame and members of the State House of Assembly diverted public funds.
Ribadu said that over N50bn was recovered by the EFCC from the deposed Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.
He added that the commission had since its establishment three years ago, received 4,324 petitions and made more than 2,000 arrests.
Ribadu said that the EFCC recovered some assets and cash valued at $5bn, in addition to houses, lands, luxury cars, airplanes and oil tankers from fraudulent individuals.
The EFCC chairman said his commission was investigating 2,103 cases while 306 were being prosecuted.
“We recovered well over N200bn in the process of the banking reforms,” Ribadu said.
He disclosed that the commission was facing a powerful conspiracy from Nigeria’s elite.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani, commended the EFCC for its achievements.
He said, “It is an institution that we require in a country like ours. The success of the EFCC is the success of our democracy. Contrary to some opinions, the EFCC is not a tool of the executive, but it should be a tool of the National Assembly.
“EFCC has been doing a marvelous job. But we should try as much as possible to make sure there is no sacred cow.
“The EFCC epitomises our fight against corruption. We shall support them as they go after the big crooks in our country. I want to urge the EFCC to charge these crooks to court; charge them to court.”
