The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has responded to the
governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose’s allegations that the agency is
using illicit tactics to cary out her activities, saying the governor
cannot determine how it operates.
Wilson Uwujaren said this in response to inquiries by newsmen on Fayose’s
accusation that the agency is fighting its anti-graft war through “trial
and error”.
“I will not respond to that because Fayose has no business with how the
EFCC runs its operation,” Uwujaren told reporters.
It could be recalled that, Fayose alleged during the week that operatives
of the commission had stormed the hotel where he lodges in Abuja, which
they felt belonged to him, with the intention of sealing it, only to
discover that it belongs to a retired military officer.
“Officials of the EFCC stormed a popular Guest House on Gana Street,
Maitama, Abuja to seal off the property believing that Governor Fayose
owned the Guest House only for the EFCC officials to be confronted with
the fact that operator of the Guest House leased the property from its
owner for ten years,” read a statement issued on the governor’s behalf by
Lere Olayinka, his spokesman.
According to Olayinka, it was at the point of sealing off the property
that the owner of the Guest House told the EFCC officials that he only
leased the property for ten years from its owner, a former chief of
defence staff, who was also a one-time minister of defence.
He further said, the EFCC operatives moved to the next building to the
guest house, which is the residence of the retired army general and they
were told by the general’s wife that the building being used as guest
house as well as the one next to it belonged to the general and not
Governor Fayose.
“It is shocking that in its desperate bid to nail Governor Fayose so as to
satisfy their paymasters, EFCC is going about claiming that properties
owned by other law abiding Nigerians are owned by the governor and the
result of this investigation by trial and error by the EFCC is the
embarrassment it faced at Gana Street, Maitama.
“That was the same way they told Nigerians that they discovered mansion in
Asokoro, Abuja owned by the governor. Unknown to the EFCC, the mansion
being referred to is a property rented by the Ekiti state government and
being used as governor’s lodge”, Olayinka stressed.