Withdrawal of Case Against Kogi: The EFCC should Apologize to Kogi Govt – Reactions
Reactions have continued to trail the latest stance of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on the Kogi 20 Billion saga as the crime-fighting body seems to have chickened out with an alibi that the Sterling Bank has “agreed” to return the said money to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The EFCC in a statement on Friday said that “Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, October 15, 2021, granted the application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, seeking to discontinue the matter in Suit No. FHC/L/ CS, 1086/2021 involving the N20bn Kogi State Salary bail-out loan. The application, according to the Commission’s counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, is the sequel to the decision of the management of Sterling Bank Plc to return the total sum of N19, 333,333,333.36 standing in the credit of the frozen account back to the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
Recall that the Kogi government through the Commissioner of Information and Communication, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, had, in September, responded to the accusation that the state mismanaged an N20bn bailout loan meant to argument payment of workers salaries.
The state had also threatened to sue over the allegation as the Sterling Bank which the money was said to be with came out to clear the air while expressing shock over the allegation it described as false.
The withdrawal of the EFCC suit against Kogi has developed huge doubt in the mind of Kogites and Nigerians by extension. It pops up the question that whether Kogi has been vindicated or that the EFCC was not sure of its indictment of Kogi.
Social media is now awash as people are lambasting EFCC after it announced withdrawing the case.
A Facebook analyst reacted to the EFCC’s assertion saying “it appears as though EFCC might suspect Nigerians are rash individuals. How could you a condition of taking cash and make a u-turn that the bank is returning the cash? Is that how the EFCC is intended to work? They ought to proceed with the suit in case they make certain of their allegation.”
The Kogi State government had distributed its bailout payment on a few national dailies when the workers’ pay rates were cleared.
This could likewise be affirmed through the current smoothness of the state government workers. Individuals are at this point not owed and the state has continued to do a few hearty projects like a significant flyover development for the core of Lokoja, the capital of the state.
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