Alleged N1trn Diversion: FG Wants Lamorde Probed

The Federal Ministry of Justice has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to commence investigation into the allegation that its chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, diverted about N1 trillion proceeds of corruption recovered by the anti-graft agency.This demand was made sequel to a petition dated September 18, 2015, and addressed to the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Abdullahi Yola.In the petition initiated by a security expert and Chief Executive Officer of Panic Alert Security Systems (PASS), George Uboh threatened to commence legal action if he got no response within seven days.The Ministry of Justice in its letter dated October 8, 2015 and signed by the Director, Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Muhammad Diri, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, indicated that Yola had directed the EFCC to investigate the allegation against Lamorde and forward the result of investigation to him “as soon as it is completed”.The letter reads: “I refer to your letter dated September 28, 2015, in respect of the above mentioned subject matter.“I am directed to inform you that your petition has been sent to the EFCC for their response to the allegation contained therein. The commission has been directed by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary to forward the result of its investigation as soon as it is completed.“Accept please, the assurances of the highest regards of the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary.”Specifically, Uboh argued that, “Pursuant to the Civil Service Rules, Ibrahim Lamorde must step aside during the pendency of the investigation by the commission.”The security expert further alleged that the EFCC boss diverted among others, the loot recovered from a former and late Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha; and ex-Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun.Uboh specifically accused Lamorde of under-remittance and non-disclosure of proceeds of corruption recovered from criminal suspects, including Balogun and Alamieyeseigha.According to the security guru, the alleged fraud dated back to Lamorde’s days as the Director of Operations of the EFCC between 2003 and 2007, as well as the acting commission’s chairman between June 2007 and May 2008, when the then chairman of the anti-graft agency, Nuhu Ribadu, was away for a course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos.While adding that the EFCC was yet to account for “offshore recoveries” and that “over half of the assets seized from suspects are not reflected in EFCC exhibit records,” Uboh promised the Senate that he would produce what he termed “overwhelming evidence” to back his claims against Lamorde.Uboh also pointed accusing fingers at Lamorde of conspiring with some EFCC officers and external auditors “to operate and conceal a recovery account in the Central Bank of Nigeria and excluded the balances from audited financial statements between 2005 and 2011.