The Kogi State House of Assembly, on Monday, demanded the sacking of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, over what the Assembly described as the unprofessional handling of the corruption case against Yahaya Bello, the immediate-past Kogi governor.
During Monday’s plenary in Lokoja, the legislators denounced the EFCC’s siege of the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja in an attempt to arrest Bello last Wednesday.
The lawmakers accused the EFCC, led by Olukoyede, of attempting to kill both Bello and incumbent Governor Usman Ododo by allegedly firing gunshots during an arrest attempt in Abuja.
The issue came up for debate in plenary on Monday when Akus Lawal, the lawmaker representing Ankpa 1 State Constituency, moved a resolution of urgent public interest, which was seconded by Jacob Olawunmi, the legislator representing Ijumu State Constituency.
Moving the motion, Lawal stated that the EFCC’s approach in the purported N80.2 billion fraud case against Bello was humiliating.
Another member, Abu Jibril of Ajaokuta State, joined the debate, saying the EFCC chairman should not only be dismissed but also punished for allegedly attempting to kill Governor Ododo.
“The chairman has shown incompetence that warrants his removal,” Jibril said.
Also speaking, a member representing Ogori/Magongo State Constituency, Bode Ogunmola, opined that the governor’s lodge ought to have been respected by the EFCC operatives.
He said, “If I am in London and there is a crisis, if I get to the Nigerian House, I will feel safe. If I am in Abuja and there is a crisis, I believe that if I get to the Kogi Lodge, I will be safe. For the EFCC Chairman to order that fire be opened on the official lodge of the governor, he should be sacked and prosecuted. We should be told why he wants to kill our governor.”
Suleiman AbdulRazak, Majority Leader of the House of Assembly, claimed that EFCC officials were pleading with the former governor to allow them to pretend he was detained. He described this as an embarrassing act.
This demonstrated that the anti-graft agency was following a script created by the former governor’s political adversaries.
As a result, the legislator stated that President Bola Tinubu should be informed of the purported assassination attempt on the current and past governors and that the entire incident was staged to shame the former governor.
As a result, the legislator stated that President Bola Tinubu should be informed of the purported assassination attempt on the current and past governors and that the entire incident was staged to shame the former governor.
He concluded that a coup attempt was carried out on the tragic night at the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge and urged the President to remove the EFCC Chairman immediately to spare the nation from further embarrassment.
The MPs determined that the EFCC had a different goal than the fight against corruption, as evidenced by the commission’s attitude toward arrests.
This, they claim, must be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians.
Yahaya Umar, representing Omala State Constituency, said, “The unlawful conducts of the EFCC show that the intention of the chairman is not to arrest former Governor Yahaya Bello but to ridicule the state.
“The chronology of how the event happened shows that the problem of the chairman is not with the offences being alleged, but that they want to disgrace the defendant and Kogi State in general.”
The Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Comfort Egwaba, stated, “The EFCC is just trying to give the former governor a bad name through their media trial. The EFCC is not sincere in this fight. It has an agenda it is pursuing, and the entire people of the state, particularly the women and youths, will not accept this.”
As a result, the Assembly approved a motion requesting that President Tinubu remove the EFCC chairman of his duties.
The Speaker, Aliyu Yusuf, read the Assembly’s decision, which stated, “The House formally categorises the April 17 and September 18 incidents as assassination attempts on the former Governor, and by extension, a threat to the life of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
“The unprovoked attack on the Governor’s Lodge and the firing of live rounds within a diplomatic residential zone further demonstrate that the EFCC has fully marinated in a sense of its own importance and power and now considers itself not only above the law but unanswerable to anyone or institution for its actions.
“Because the EFCC Chairman has shown constantly gross incompetence, the House has resolved that the President should relieve him of his appointment with immediate effect and replace him with a competent officer who will give Mr. President’s crusade for the rule of law the needed effectiveness.
