Matilda Omonaiye/
Anti-graft agents are after former Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, as a matter of course, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told NewsmakersNG today.
While denying allegations that operatives of the Commission raided Ambode’s residence early today, EFCC authorities said that ongoing investigation into the activities of the ex-governor was following a legal procedure.
The EFCC recently secured an order to freeze three bank accounts allegedly owned by the Lagos State Government over a suspected fraud of N9.9 billion. The three bank accounts, domiciled in First City Monument Bank, Access Bank, and Zenith Bank, are numbered 5617984012, 0060949275 and 1011691254, respectively and were opened during Ambode’s administration.
The EFCC had approached the court for an order for the accounts to be frozen pending the conclusion of the investigation and possible prosecution of the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Chief of Staff to Ambode, Adewale Adesanya.
According to an ex-parte application, a member of the EFCC investigating team, Kungmi Daniel, said the commission discovered “a huge inflow of N9,927,714,443.29” from the state accounts into an FCMB bank account opened on September 17, 2018, during Ambode’s administration.
The governor has since denied claims that the accounts are linked to him.
EFCC’s spokesman, Mr Tony Orilade, says in a statement today: “We need to state for the records that the EFCC did not raid Ambode’s house. It is instructive that his administration, like other former governors, is under investigation since they no longer constitutionally enjoy immunity against prosecution.
“The Commission hereby states with a high sense of responsibility that the operatives did not raid Ambode’s residence.
“Whatever the Commission is presently doing with regards to the investigation is in line with its mandate and the rule of law.
“We wish to inform the social media to be circumspect in the reportage of any news with regards to investigation activities of the Commission.
“As a tradition, the Commission does not carry out an investigation on the pages of the newspapers or through the media. Our operations are always covert until at a time when we file charges in court.
“Therefore, the attempt to cast the Commission in a bad light is unacceptable as the EFCC will never engage in an illegal act. We remain committed to the war against corruption.”
Here are two videos showing how Ambode’s neighbours stalled EFCC’s operations in his home at about 9 am this Tuesday: