The Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare II, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of allegedly aiding crimes. This allegation was made on Monday when he received the newly deployed Benin Zonal Director of EFCC, Effa Okim, at his palace in Benin City. According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Osaigbovo Iguobaro, the monarch cited a specific criminal case involving unnamed former palace officials who were arrested for alleged fraud and handed over to the EFCC in Benin for investigation and prosecution.
Oba Ewuare II claimed that some EFCC operatives handled his petition with kid gloves, resulting in the suspects being set free with only minor penalties a few years ago. He specifically accused an unnamed female EFCC investigator of allegedly sweeping clear evidence of fraud under the carpet. The statement from the monarch included the following:
“We want to draw your attention to one or two grey areas in your operations. You know that I have been known for speaking the truth. But like it is, I was not happy about certain things that happened with your predecessor.
“We get news from everywhere. We tried to assist the EFCC. I even wrote a letter to the then Chairman that was removed from office. I sent an emissary to talk to him regarding certain elements in Edo State, particularly the palace. How can EFCC boys, especially that girl, be behaving like this? If I was asked to comment on her performance index, I would score her zero. I do not know if she was doing EFCC job or just dancing to the tunes of people that were giving her money.
“At the time we were trying to assist EFCC, the report we kept getting was negative and I was not happy about it.”
The monarch urged the Commission to fight crime without fear or favor and pledged support to the state government in addressing social inequality and reducing social vices. He also noted that the newly appointed Chairman of the EFCC, Olanipekun Olukoyede, would be on the path to greatness if he continued to demonstrate fidelity in his duties.
Earlier, the newly deployed Benin Zonal Director of EFCC, Effa Okim, disclosed that Edo ranks second behind Lagos State in Nigeria’s financial crime index. He appealed to Oba Ewuare II to support the Commission with advocacy against financial crimes.