TheCable

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly secured a court warrant to arrest four officials of the Rivers government over an alleged N117 billion suspicious transaction.

The anti-graft agency is investigating the transaction of the said sum which was supposedly withdrawn over the counter in the last three years.

The EFCC had invited and quizzed Peter Amangbo, managing director of Zenith Bank, over the alleged transaction.

The anti-graft agency is also seeking to quiz four officials of the state who were central to the withdrawals.

However, Nyesom Wike, Rivers governor, had said the investigation is “politically motivated”.

He said until the EFCC approaches the court of appeal to set aside the 2007 judgment barring the commission from investigating the state, his officials would not honour its summons.

But the EFCC, according to The Nation, has obtained a court warrant to arrest the officials and may declare them wanted if the move to arrest them fails.

The suspects were alleged to have gone underground following the decision of the state government not to hand them over to the EFCC.

“The EFCC is also now empowered by the law to watch-list these state officials which will make it possible to pick them up in any part of the country and abroad,” the report quoted sources as saying.

“So, we are now on the trail of the affected officials. But, if they remain underground, we may declare them wanted.”

“None of the officials has immunity from arrest, investigation and prosecution.”

“The reference to a 2007 court order by the Rivers State government is just a desperate attempt to cling at any straw.

“We have records to show that when Governor Nyesom Wike was Chief of Staff at the same Government House, he was invited, interrogated and detained by the EFCC on June 10, 2008.

“As a law-abiding agency, the EFCC will continue to do its work without fear or favour. We will get to the root of the illegal withdrawal of N117 billion in cash and without official records.”