By Francesca Hangeior
Head of Media and Publicity for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),
Dele Oyewale, has clarified that the anti-graft agency has no interest in a witness of the Edo State governorship election petitions tribunal unless there is a corruption issue.
Oyewale’s statement, made on Wednesday, came in response to a viral video alleging that EFCC operatives had raided a hotel in Benin to arrest Dr. Asue Ighodalo, a witness for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the September 21, 2024 Edo State election.
The spokesman of EFCC said: “The attention of the EFCC has been drawn to a trending video insinuating that Mr. Jonathan Okunbor, a suspect being investigated for an alleged N6 billion fraud, was an election witness.
“The commission wishes to state without any equivocation that Okunbor is not a witness of the PDP in the election tribunal, as claimed by Mr. Asue Ighodalo. Rather, he (Okunbor) is a prime suspect connected to a case of misappropriation of funds involving all the 18 local government areas of Edo State.
“Ongoing investigations showed that about N6 billion was diverted to Kezmith Global Ventures, owned by Ogunbor. The suspect was running the ventures using the name and identity of Mr. Godfrey Emode.
“The commission’s investigators, in their quest to unearth the shadiness of Ogunbor, arrested Emode, who led them to the suspect in Eterno Hotel, Benin City, where a pre-trial meeting was being held.
“Investigators interrogated the counsel to Ighodalo on the status of Ogunbor in the election tribunal matters and he clearly stated that he was not a witness in the matter.
“In spite of this, Mr. Ighodalo and his co-travellers at Eterno Hotel prevented EFCC officers from carrying out their constitutional duty and obstructed them from arresting Ogunbor. Specifically, Ighodalo insisted that Ogunbor was his witness, when it was obvious that he only wanted to aid his escape from the commission’s investigators.
“The EFCC remains committed to its adherence to the rule of law and the commission has no business with any Edo State election witness that has no corruption charge before it. The EFCC will not hesitate to bring anyone to trial, witness or no witness, if it has a basis for doing so.”
Oyewale assured members of the public that Ogunbor would be brought to book soon, in connection with the alleged N6 billion fraud involving his firm, Kezmith Global Ventures.