Probe of security vote: Governors hire lawyers to challenge EFCC

Governors under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) say they have hired lawyers to challenge the power of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe security vote of states.

Abubakar Badaru, governor of Jigawa state, disclosed this at the end of the monthly national economic council (NEC) meeting presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the presidential villa, Abuja, on Thursday.

He said the issue was discussed by the governors in their meeting on Wednesday night, saying the lawyers had been instructed to investigate the case.

Earlier, Abdulaziz Yari, chairman of the NGF and Zamfara state governor, had condemned the way the anti-graft agencies have been handling the fight against corruption.

While speaking on the freezing of Akwa Ibom and Benue states government accounts by EFCC, Yari told reporters that even President Muhammadu Buhari will not support the action.

“We believe strongly that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari will not sit down and supervise this illegality in the system.

“What we are saying is that we all support the government to fight corruption because it is endemic and has suffered the nation for over six decades. Definitely, it was part of what we discussed.

“What we are saying now is that we are going to support the government in terms of what it is doing to fight corruption, but the due process must be respected in whatever action the agencies are going to take in the name of fighting corruption.”

On Wednesday, Tever Akase, spokesman of Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state, told TheCable that the EFCC had asked the state to produce details of security meeting between 2015 and 2018.

The EFCC had accused Ortom of misappropriating security vote.