Bankole fails to show up for EFCC interrogation

OUTGOING Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Dimeji Bankole, on Tuesday, failed to honour his word by not making an appearance at

the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for interrogation on the alleged N10 billion scam rocking the leadership of the lower chamber.


He had, on Thursday, begged the commission in writing to excuse him from honouring its summons on the alleged scam on the day, promising to make himself available on any other day chosen by the commission.
The commission subsequently fixed Tuesday (yesterday) for his appearance for interrogation, with the date said to have been communicated to him.

His plea to the commission was contained in a correspondence written by the clerk of the chamber, Sanni Omolori, explaining that the Speaker had some inauguration commitment which would occupy his time.
He had pledged that any other time chosen by the commission would be okay for the planned interface.
Commission’s spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi, confirmed to the Nigerian Tribune by phone, on Tuesday, that the speaker did not stand by his word.

A source revealed to the Nigerian Tribune that Bankole might be risking being declared wanted by the commission next week after his tenure might have come to an end next Monday.
According to the source, “He does not have any immunity. But if it was chamber immunity that he was hanging onto by next Monday, everything would have come to an end.”

The current House of Representatives would run its full cycle next Monday, June 6, when it would be dissolved and the president would proclaim the new one into existence.

However, Bankole said state functions prevented him from visiting the EFCC as scheduled, more so as the House was busy preparing grounds for the commencement of a new legislative session next week.

Bankole, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Chief Musa Ebomhiana, said he could not have held the pressing legislative matters in abeyance, more so as President Goodluck Jonathan just sent fresh bills, which he said required the urgent attention of the House leadership.

Ebomhiana said the Speaker respected the institution of EFCC and hence could not afford to shun the commission as widely insinuated.

He said the Speaker had been in touch with the headship of the anti-graft commission as he counselled against what he described as undue sensationalisation of the issues at stake.

Meanwhile, the commission, on Tuesday, raised the alarm over an alleged plot by a high-profile suspect to launch campaigns of calumny against the agency and some of its officials.

In a statement issued in Abuja by Babafemi, the commission claimed that information at its disposal showed that the suspect, who rather than cooperate with it on an ongoing investigation of fraud allegations, had chosen to employ the services of hirelings to attack the agency and its leadership.

The statement read in part: “we again wish to alert the public to a fresh plan to launch all manner of attacks on the commission by persons we are currently investigating for corruption charges. These elements, who are being coordinated and funded by a high-profile suspect in a case of criminal conspiracy, diversion of public funds and money laundering we are currently investigating, were last weekend mobi-lised with ill-gotten funds to launch series of attacks against the commission and its leadership.

“These hirelings have been paid to stage appearances on popular television and radio stations’ discussion programmes, under the banner of some civil rights groups and under the guise of analysing the nation’s anti-graft war.

“It is also part of their plan to author newspaper advertorials and articles, all for the sole aim of rubbishing the progress being made in the anti-graft war and ultimately weaken the morale of staff of the commission.
“All these have been plotted to find an escape route for just one suspect, who has enormous resources to pay groups and pseudo-activists to destabilise or distract a government agency working for the emergence of a better society.

“Members of the public are, therefore, urged to disregard jaundiced and self-serving statements that will be coming from these elements in the days ahead.”

It said the EFCC had recovered more than $11 billion, secured over 600 convictions with more than 1,500 cases, including 65 high profile ones pending in courts.

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