The Kogi State Government on Sunday asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to come out with the report of its investigations on the purported N20bn bailout funds over which a Lagos High Court reportedly froze the state’s account in August.
It insisted that the alleged sum of N19,333,333,333.36, which Sterling Bank had made an undertaken to the EFCC to transfer to the Central Bank of Nigeria did not belong to the Kogi State Government and that the state did not enter into any agreement, either with Sterling Bank or the EFCC, to return any bailout funds to the CBN as being portrayed.
The EFCC had on Friday, withdraw its suit seeking the forfeiture of N20bn bailout funds.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke granted the order of withdrawal sequel to a motion filed and argued by EFCC counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, leading Rotimi Oyedepo.
But the government kicked against the panic withdrawal by the EFCC, challenging the anti-graft body to make public its investigation of the alleged bailout funds.
In a statement on Sunday, by the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, on Sunday, the state government accused the EFCC of hiding inalienable facts and embarking on a face-saving mission with its statement on the withdrawal.
Fanwo also urged Nigerians to ask the EFCC in whose custody it found a part of the bailout fund said to have been dissipated.
He said, “It is our belief that the unceremonious withdrawal of the suit by the EFCC without informing the court of the facts is a deliberate and face-saving effort by the EFCC which has throughout this episode engaged in very unprofessional and unethical conduct, all in a bid to ‘nail’ at all cost, the Kogi State Government and tarnish its image. It is our belief that the unceremonious withdrawal of the suit by the EFCC without informing the court of the facts stated in paragraph 3 above, is a deliberate and face-saving effort by the EFCC which has throughout this episode engaged in very unprofessional and unethical conduct, all in a bid to ‘nail’ at all cost, the Kogi State Government and tarnish its image. While we reserve all our legal rights against the EFCC, we reiterate our demand for an unreserved apology from the EFCC as contained in our letter to the chairman of the EFCC dated September 6, 2021. We hope the EFCC will honour the said demand as a step on the road to redemption as it tries to regain the trust of Nigerians and repair its rapidly deteriorating image.”