Date Published: 07/05/09

The Case against Mobitel -EFCC

The attention of the Economic and Financial Commission Crimes, EFCC has been drawn to series of press statements and advertorials sponsored by the management of Mobitel Ltd in the last couple of days in a bid to blackmail the Commission over an on- going investigation involving the telecommunication firm and others.

Although it is not our style to join issues with persons or entities we are investigating in the media, it is however expedient to let the public know some facts of this matter less they are mislead by the self-serving account of Mobitel.

The EFCC therefore wishes to state as follows:

The EFCC as part of on-going investigation of some allegations of impropriety in the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC invited the President/CEO of Mobitel, Mr. Johnson Salako over a waiver of N242,775,000(Two Hundred and Forty Two Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand Naira)only granted the telecommunication firm by NCC in October 2008.

Mr. Salako and the chairman of Mobitel, Mr. Adeyemi Akisanya had in their statements during interrogation on Monday June 22,2009 admitted that their company got the waiver via an NCC letter dated October 17, 2008 and promised to refund same.

As a further confirmation of their commitment to refund this money which rightly belongs to the government and people of Nigeria , Salako, few hours after he was released on bail brought a bank draft of N48,000,000 ( Forty Eight Million Naira) only to the EFCC.

Thereafter, both Salako and Akisanya, out of their own volition made handwritten commitments to bring the balance of the waived fees which stand at N194,775,000.00( One Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand, Seven Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand Naira) only on Thursday June 25, 2009.

Curiously and in a manner that suggests a conspiracy of some sort to deny the federal government its due revenue, Mobitel reneged on its earlier undertaking . This led the EFCC to seek a court order to detain Salako since it was apparent that they were out to obstruct the course of investigation.

This was soon confirmed when both NCC and Mobitel almost simultaneously wrote the EFCC and attempted to justify why Mobitel should continue to deny the Federal government of its due revenue by suddenly supplanting “ Waiver ” in their previous correspondences with the word “discount” in a futile attempt to cover an obvious illegality.

It should be noted that no amount of sponsored attack on the EFCC will stop it from discharging its statutory responsibility and ensuring that the interest of the government and people of Nigeria is well protected against all forms of economic sabotage in this case and any other of its kind .The Commission will also ensure that all those found culpable in this matter will be made to face charges in due course.