EFCC: Leak of high-profile individuals under probe has damaged our work

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says the leak of names of high-profile individuals under investigation has done damage to its work.

Walter Onnoghen, chief justice of Nigeria; Okonjo-Iweala, former finance minister; Kayode Fayemi, minister of solid minerals, and Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti state governor, had been listed as some of those under investigation by the commission.

Reacting to the reports, Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC spokesperson, said the information was not leaked by the anti-graft agency.

He said the leak had done damage to the commission’s investigation because most of the cases were still at the preliminary stage.

“It is important to state that this report did not emanate from the EFCC and the allusion to ‘an EFCC source’ is diversionary and mischievous,” he said.

“For the avoidance of doubt, cases under investigation communicated to the office of the attorney-general of the federation by the commission are classified information and it is troubling how such would be leaked to the media.”

He also said the commission was not investigating Onnoghen and Abdul Kafarati, a justice of the federal high court.

“The mastermind of this leak is out to create disaffection between the commission and, particularly, the judiciary. The commission wishes to state categorically that it is currently not investigating Justices Onnoghen and Kafarati,” he said.

“While Onnoghen was being considered for his present position, the commission received some petitions which were investigated and found to be without merit and discarded.

“Indeed, much damage has been done to the commission’s investigation activities by this leak especially as some of the cases mentioned are still at preliminary stages of investigation.”