Lawyer wants EFCC to look into Buhari's cabinet members

Pelumi Olajengbesi, a lawyer for human rights, has pushed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to look into every cabinet member and appointee who worked under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The most recent president, Buhari, in office for two terms totaling eight years, from 2015 to 2023.

Olajengbesi, the managing partner of the Abuja-based legal firm Law Corridor, stated in a statement on Friday that the investigation had become necessary due to the shocking disclosures made during the trial of Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He asserts that the EFCC must audit all government officials’ financial activities during their tenure under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He also applauded the EFCC for uncovering the purported signature forgeries of ex-Secretary General of the Federation Boss Mustapha and Buhari by the troubled former head of the country’s top bank, who is involved in a $6.2 million scam for international observers in the most recent election.

Olajengbesi declared, “We have to put an end to the illegal influence and sheer boldness of people in positions of authority.

“The EFCC should conduct a comprehensive examination of all key players who worked under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, not just former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele. Bad behavior should be discouraged in some way.

Once more, the issue involving Ahmad Salihijo, the suspended Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency, and the purported N1.2 billion scam is recent and serves as a reminder of the flagrant abuse of authority committed by people who worked for Buhari.

“Emefiele and every individual who worked for the Buhari administration ought to undergo a thorough audit and be granted an opportunity to clear their records, as the corruption that surfaced during that administration is enormous.”

The latest of three witnesses to testify against Emefiele was an EFCC official and forensic document examiner named Bamaiyi Haruna. On Thursday, he told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama that he had discovered evidence of forgeries in some of the documents used to release $6.2 million from the CBN in February 2023.

Ex-SGF Mustapha was the other witness. He informed the court that neither he nor the former president Buhari knew about the $6.2 million, and that Buhari’s signature had been forged in order to transfer the funds out. Onyeka Ogbu, a deputy director at the apex bank, was the third witness.

On June 18, 2023, Emefiele was charged by the EFCC on modified 20 counts, alleging that he had moved $6.2 million from the CBN vault through fraud by posing as Mustapha.

According to the allegations, on February 8, 2023, Emefiele conspired with an Odoh Ocheme, who is now at large, to receive $6.2 million from the CBN on behalf of the SGF “via a letter dated 26th January 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/.”