The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has refuted a report that made rounds in the media on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, and Justice Abdu Kafarati of the Federal High Court, are currently under investigation by the Commission.
The Commission, in a statement released by its head of publicity, Wilson Uwajuren, drew attention to a story titled: “CJN, Okonjo-Iweala, Fayemi, Fayose, Others Under Probe- EFCC,” which appeared in the Wednesday, September 6, 2017 publication of a national daily.
The said publication, which already trended on online media channels, was in regard to a list of high profile personalities, including the CJN, former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kayode Fayemi, and Justice Abdu Kafarati of the Federal High Court, who are were reported to be currently under investigation by the Commission.
The statement read that, according to the newspaper, “the list, sighted by one of our correspondents via an EFCC source on Monday, was recently sent by the anti-graft agency to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), based on request.
“It is important to state that this report did not emanate from the EFCC and the allusion to ‘an EFCC source’ is diversionary and mischievous,” the statement read.
The EFCC, in bid to steer the avoidance of doubt, said cases under investigation communicated to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (OAGF) by the Commission are classified information and that it is troubling how such would be leaked to the media.
The Commission further stated that it is currently not investigating Justices Onnoghen and Kafarati.
It added that while Justice Onnoghen was being considered for his present position, the Commission received some petitions which were investigated and found to be without merit and was eventually discarded.
“Indeed, much damage has been done to the Commission’s investigation activities by this leak especially as some of the cases mentioned are still at preliminary stages of investigation,” the Commission further stated.
By Chinyere Obia‎
