Date Published: 06/02/11

EFCC vs Bankole: Former Speaker budgets N60 million, COOPTS Rights Group, CDHR, Media
…‘WE WILL GET HIM’ Anti-Graft commission Vows
…May be Planning to Escape Abroad After Handing Over to New Leadership

Festus Keyamo	Dimeji Bankole	Farida Waziri

Embattled former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, who has a multi-billion naira fraud allegation hanging over his head, is doing all he could to stop the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) from bringing him to book, or at least making him say all he knows about the high level graft allegedly supervised by him while he was Speaker.

He has, in the last few days tried to get the backing of President Goodluck Jonathan and some PDP top brass, but when that failed he decided to use a rights group, the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR), a section of the media, and his lackeys in the senate and House, to take pot shots at the EFCC and brand the commission as vindictive.

The point’s men in the CDHR, who liaise with Bankole are one Supo Ojo, and another male simply known as Morgan, Pointblanknews also learnt.

Pointblanknews.com sources in Abuja hinted Thursday that Bankole has a war chest of a little over N60 Million dedicated to the battle with the EFCC, all in a bid to ensure he does not appear in their interrogation room.

There are also fears he may be buying time so he can flee the country shortly after handing over to the new Speaker.

According to our source “ he has made available over N60 Million to fight the EFCC. He just doesn’t want to show up there, he fears he could be detained. He has engaged some officials of the CDHR, who are already kicking the EFCC. He has spent hugely on the media. At his recent media briefing he gave out N50,000 per media representative, he has done extensive interviews on AIT, Channels and others, “

Twice he had been invited , twice he had declined. First time he claimed he was busy preparing hand-over notes, but last Thursday he gave no official reason, but his lackeys stated that he was still tidying up his desk for the next leadership.

However, in swift about turn , the former Speaker, kicked the EFCC. In a letter to the EFCC boss, Farida Waziri, he accused the commission of acting in ‘bad faith’

He said the EFCC was engaging in “sensational prosecution and conviction on the pages of newspapers on an issue as grave as corruption without ever communicating with him.” Bankole denied he snubbed the commision on Tuesday as was reported in the media since there was neither a proper invitation to him nor a commitment on his part to honour a non-existent invitation.

In reference to a letter from the EFCC dated May 27 in which the commission acknowledged Bankole’s request for the rescheduling of interview, the Speaker said he had never at any time written the EFCC asking for rescheduling of an interview for May 31 as he had never received any invitation for an interview in the first place. The Speaker who said he was not averse to an interview with the commission stated, however, that the EFCC had to formally request for such an interview and provide information about the specific issues involved.

“You would no doubt appreciate that the fundamental right of every citizen of Nigeria is guaranteed by the constitution which you, as the chairman of the EFCC, must uphold. In that regard, all cards must be placed on the table to enable the Hon. Speaker respond to any relevant issue which you must want to raise,” the letter said .

But the EFCC fired back through his spokesman, Femi Babafemi , who said activities of the CDHR, which were being held under the guise of an anti-corruption campaign, were actually to present EFCC as wanting to tarnish the image of some individuals because the commission was currently investigating a “high profile case.”

As regards Bankole’s refusal to appear before the agency, Babafemi said: “We are not silent. Investigation is ongoing. We will not open up our line of action. The case is not closed .”

According to Babafemi “ some compromised leaders of the CDHR have mobilized some   civil society groups   in the guise of holding an Anti-Corruption forum to blackmail the present leadership of the EFCC. Many of the groups and persons that have been invited to the forum certainly do not know the motivating force propelling the brains behind the forum. Since deceit has been employed by the organizers of this forum to lure other good intentioned groups and individuals to rubber stamp their pre-determined agenda, we believe we have a responsibility  to further inform the public especially sincere members of the civil society community that the elements behind the forum are nothing but hired hands who are taking advantage of the good reputation built over the years for CDHR by the likes of  Beko Ransome Kuti,  Mrs Ayo Obe and others to line their own pockets”.

Rights activist, and lawyer Festus Keyamo, in a statement Thursday queried the rationale behind the role of the CDHR According to him” Why would any civil society group worth its salt keep mum at this time about mountains of allegations against corrupt politicians and dissipate so much energy chasing shadows?

(2)              Why have the so-called civil society groups not made any comment about the slow judiciary, conniving defence lawyers, and other factors outside the hands of EFCC that have hampered the quick dispensation of justice to those already facing trial?

(3)              Whose purpose do these groups serve at this time by attacking the Commission’s leadership and diverting its attention when it is trying to apprehend fleeing past public officers at this critical time?”

The reports, according to Keyamo, “ indicate that some immediate past public officers (and in particular, one of such that has been spurning the invitation by the anti-graft agencies) have reached out to civil society groups in order to mobilize them to verbally attack and weaken the moral authority of the anti-graft agencies, (especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ) to thoroughly probe them and bring them to book.”