Okiro: Law Firm Threatens To Sue ICPC, EFCC
Latest Headlines, News Monday, August 10th, 2015
For failing to carry out its statutory responsibility in prosecuting the Chairman, Police Service Commission , Mr. Mike Okiro over alleged abuse of office, corruption and misrepresentation of facts with a view to embezzle the sum of N275.5 million PSC election funds, a law firm Prodigy Chambers has challenged the anti graft bodies to either prosecute Okiro or publish a report of its findings or face legal action.
A partner in the firm Barr. John Uchenna told our correspondent that almost three months after a petition detailing Okiro’s alleged fraudulent acts in the PSC by a staff of the Commission, Mr. Aaron Kaase, the ICPC invited Okiro and quizzed him for several hours, granted him administrative bail and nothing has been heard from them ever since, while the EFCC has remained silent.
In his words” We have carried out our independent investigation at ICPC and have found out that the top hierarchy of the organisation is, as in many other cases trying to sweep the matter under the carpet, just as the EFCC which is headed by a police officer under the supervision of the Police Service Commission, is afraid to act for fear of repercusion”.
Barr. Uchenna further revealed that an unnamed source at the ICPC told him that while investigations have long been concluded, the management has been under intense pressure from outside influences not to prosecute Mr. Okiro adding that this was against the spirit and mantra of the President Buhari administration.
He lamented the faith of the whistle Blower, Mr. Aaron Kaase who has remained on suspension without pay at the instance of Mr. Okiro for exposing the fraud while his life is constantly threatened by unknown persons while Okiro has remained in his office apparently doctoring papers to cover the rot in the PSC.
” If by the end of this month (August ) nothing has been heard from this anti graft agencies, we will have no choice than to approach the courts asking for a mandamus to compel them to their job. The era when matters like this died naturally has passed” he said.
It could be recalled that Okiro was accused through a petition to both the ICPC and EFCC dated 21 May 2015 by a staff of the Commission Mr. Aaron Kaase of inflating the staff strength of the Commission from less than 400 to about 900, allocating 200 staff to Lagos and Kano when the Commission had no staff in Lagos, 8 in Kano and less than 200 in Abuja while claiming to train them at a combined amount of N275.5 million during the last general elections. . He was also accused of collecting several millions of naira for overseas trips that he did not attend and other corrupt practices.
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