Lamorde: EFCC chair in soup over N1trn ‘looted funds’

CHAIRMAN of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde, is presently being
investigated over allegations of diversion of over N1 trillion
from the sale of confiscated properties belonging to
convicted public officials including former governor of
Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyesiegha and former Inspector
General of Police, Tafa Balogun, among many others.

Daily Sun gathered that the Presidency’s searchlight had
actually been on the EFCC following complaints and reports
that EFCC operatives were notoriously letting some financial
crimes suspects off the hook rather than prosecute them.
The decision to launch a full-scale investigation, however,started after one George Uboh appeared before the Senate
Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions on
August 23 where he alleged that Lamorde dipped his hands
into the said funds.

It was gathered that after his appearance at the Senate, the
Presidency picked interest in the matter and directed the
Office of the National Special Adviser (NSA) to commence
investigations into the allegations.
A National Assembly source said thereafter, the NSA, Major
General Babagana Monguno (retd) reportedly swung into
action.
“Series of complaints against Lamorde is his perceived slack
supervision of his operatives. There have been series of
allegations that operatives collect bribe from suspects and let
them off the hook rather than investigate allegations thor­ oughly.
 “This investigation is not a witch-hunt…It is meant to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they are not mere allegations but, they are weighty enough to warrant presidential scrutiny.”
In his petition to the Senate, Uboh said the fraud allegedly
perpetrated by Larmode dated back to his days as the
Director of Operations of the EFCC between 2003 and 2007,
as well as an acting Chairman of the commission between
June 2007 and May 2008, when the then chairman of the
anti-graft agency, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, was away for a course
at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies,
Kuru, Jos.
Uboh, Chief Executive Officer of Panic Alert Security Systems,
a security firm, in his petition dated July 31 accused Lamorde
of some specific instances of under-remittance and non-
disclosure of proceeds of corruption recovered from criminal
suspects, including Balogun and Alamieyeseigha.
He assured the Senate that he would produce “overwhelming
evidence” to back his claims against Lamorde.
Uboh also alleged that the EFCC had not accounted for
“offshore recoveries” and that “over half of the assets seized
from suspects are not reflected in EFCC exhibit records.”
The petitioner equally accused Lamorde of conspiring with
some EFCC officers and external auditors “to operate and con­
ceal a recovery account in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
and excluded the balances from your audited financial
statements between 2005 and 2011.”
“Lamorde continues to conceal the details of the unsold
properties forfeited by both Tafa Balogun and DSP
Alamieyeseigha despite receiving rent revenues from some
estate agents on the said properties,” he further alleged.