The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition has received documents tended as evidence by the anti-graft agency, over allegations of fraudulent diversion of over N1 trillion by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde.
At the opening session of the hearing, the petitioner, George Uboh, said that over 95 per cent of overseas seizures by the agency were also diverted, including the loot recovered from a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha; and former Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun.
The EFCC boss was not present to state his own side as the commission had written to the committee to ask to be allowed more time to gather relevant documents and given another date to appear before the committee to answer to the petition.
An official of the EFCC, who was present at the event, however, questioned the propriety of the committee, saying the petitioner should not have been allowed to present his case in the absence of the committee. (Channels TV)
•Photo shows Lamorde.
NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s leading online newspaper. Published by Africa’s international award-winning journalist, Mr. Isaac Umunna, NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s first truly professional online daily newspaper. It is published from Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and media hub, and has a provision for occasional special print editions. Thanks to our vast network of sources and dedicated team of professional journalists and contributors spread across Nigeria and overseas, NEWS EXPRESS has become synonymous with newsbreaks and exclusive stories from around the world.