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ABUJA—
EMBATTLED former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji
Bankole, who was arrested, Sunday, by operatives of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, opened up, yesterday. - See more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/06/bankole-opens-up-in-detention/#sthash.6uS3VLJw.dpuf
ABUJA—
EMBATTLED former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji
Bankole, who was arrested, Sunday, by operatives of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, opened up, yesterday. - See more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/06/bankole-opens-up-in-detention/#sthash.6uS3VLJw.dpuf
ABUJA— EMBATTLED former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, who was arrested, Sunday, by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, opened up, yesterday
Vanguard
learnt that he has started mentioning names after being grilled for more than
12 hours by the anti-graft agency over alleged financial impropriety in the
House of Representatives during his tenure which ended last week.
The
former speaker was said to have refused to cooperate with the commission for
more than twelve hours between Sunday evening and yesterday morning when he was
requested to write a statement on what he knew about the allegations against
him. But when he was brought out from his cell yesterday morning and he saw
that the anti-graft agency meant business, he became sober and started to tell
his story.
Meanwhile,
Vanguard learnt that the agency was yesterday trying to secure a remand order
that would enable it to keep Bankole in custody for a week while he is being
interrogated. It had earlier got an order from a magistrate court in the
Federal Capital Territory to carry out a search on all his known property.
Intensive
search on property
A
highly placed source at the EFCC said: “This morning our operatives undertook
an intensive search of all property known to belong to the former speaker in
Abuja. The warrant also covers his other property in Lagos and Abeokuta, in
Ogun State.”
Although
he didn’t state where the property were located in the various cities in the
country, but one of these would be the mansion on No. 8 Richard Clapperton
Street, in Asokoro, where the former speaker was arrested by EFCC operatives
the previous night.
The
source added that the search by the EFCC was to unearth documents and files
that would help the Commission in its efforts to prosecute Bankole for numerous
financial and economic misappropriations during his tenure as Speaker of the
House of Representatives.
He
added: “It’s a normal investigative procedure performed for such a high profile
investigation by the Commission, and our officers took away from his house some
documents and files that we believe will enable us to build a credible case
against the suspect when we finally charge him to court.”
The
commission has also seized his travel documents to prevent him from jetting out
of the country.
Meanwhile, Bankole is said to be undergoing “thorough grilling” at the hands of EFCC interrogators who are trying to establish his role in alleged numerous financial misconduct while he served as the number four citizen.
Meanwhile, Bankole is said to be undergoing “thorough grilling” at the hands of EFCC interrogators who are trying to establish his role in alleged numerous financial misconduct while he served as the number four citizen.
Response
to text messages
EFCC’s
Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Babafemi, confirmed in text message
response to questions posed by our correspondent that the former speaker was
undergoing interrogations at one of the cells at the Commission’s headquarters.
Babafemi
said: “He is still being interrogated, while we have got a warrant to search
his property.” He, however, refused to comment on when Bankole could possibly
be charged to court to face legal action for his alleged role in financial
misconduct in the House of Representatives.
The
EFCC arrested the former speaker at his residence in Asokoro, Abuja, in a raid
which lasted for more than four hours, Sunday, bringing to an end weeks of hide
and seek between the two.
Bankole
had adamantly shunned invitations by the Commission to come in and answer
questions regarding some financial impropriety including a N10 billion loan
secured by the former speaker using his office as a speaker of the House of
Representatives. An attempt to arrest him last Friday was thwarted by his
well-armed security details who had confronted the EFCC officers, leading to a
stand-off which lasted through the weekend.
The
anti-graft agency is investigating the speaker’s role in some alleged financial
transactions executed by the House, which included the alleged use of the
House’s accounts as collateral to secure a private loan.
The
former speaker is also being investigated for allegedly taking a loan of N10
billion for the House without any resolution of the House supporting the said
loan, as well as N2.3 million contract scam and alleged misappropriation of
over N9 billion from the 2008/2009 budget allocation to the House as well as
the purchase of NET building in Lagos for N4 billion.
Meanwhile
mixed reactions yesterday trailed Bankole’s arrest by the EFCC.
While
some Nigerians urged the commission to arrest and investigate other lawmakers,
others described the arrest as a charade.
Human
Rights lawyer, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, said the EFCC should ensure thorough
investigation of the matter including all members of the out-gone Sixth House.
His
words: “The arrest should not stop with the former Speaker, every member of the
National Assembly in the last dispensation should be investigated and those
found culpable must be brought to book.”
Embarrassment
to the nation
Aturu
described Bankole’s arrest as “embarrassing to the nation, morally indefensible
and legally untenable” because “Bankole occupied a moral position in Nigeria.
He was morally and legally bound to submit himself to the EFCC for questioning
rather than trying to resist it.”
He
commended the EFCC for showing that nobody was above the law in Nigeria.
Chairman
of the National Action Council, NAC, Dr. Olapade Agoro, urged EFCC “to ensure
that a good job was made of Bankole’s arrest” because “the conduct of the
Speaker prior to the arrest was a disgrace to the youths of Nigeria.”
He
said: “It becomes more saddening that a young man who earns over N100 million
per quarter should have his name tainted in any form of financial allegations.
Even the allegations against Mrs. Patricia Etteh, who was disgraced out of
office as Speaker was a child’s play, compared to the current allegations
emanating from the House.”
Agoro
said that EFCC must pursue and arrest other members of the House, including the
Senate in the last dispensation, to logical conclusions, adding: “The final
arrest of Bankole is highly encouraging because it at least put paid to the
belief and wrong assumption in some quarters that some Nigerians are above the
law.”
Proof
of innocence
The
Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, on its part, said the arrest
should not end as a mere fanfare.
The
South West Secretary of the CNPP, Mr Austin Nnorom, told NAN that justice must
be seen to have been carried out by EFCC on the allegations. He said: “If the
former Speaker is to be acquitted of the allegations, Nigerians must be shown
proof of his innocence and vice_versa.”
However,
the Coalition of Oodua Self_Determination Groups, COOSEG, said the EFCC was
playing on the emotion of Nigerians with the arrest.
COOSEG
Director of Strategy, Razaq Oladosu said: “The commission was quoted in the
media to have set up two committees on Sunday that would investigate the
Speaker after giving impressions to Nigerians that investigations had been
concluded. The former speaker or anyone else, would be a fool not to have tied
up loose ends because there was adequate time since the EFCC started harping on
the arrest to cover any such tracks.”
Oladosu
said that a sincere war on corruption must start with a change in the
leadership of the EFCC that had “indicted more persons on the pages of
newspapers than in actuality.”
