By Dwelleth Morountodun
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday justified why the Commission’s Chairman, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, paid a visit to the Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Kazeem Alogba, immediately after a court session.
Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, Spokesperson for the Commission in a reaction through a signed statement, said a story captioned: Controversy Trails EFCC Chairman’s Visit to Lagos CJ, had appeared in Thisday Newspaper of Tuesday April 19.
The EFCC Spokesperson, acknowledged that the report alleged that the visit by the EFCC Chairman to Justice Alogba, after a court session where he was prosecution witness is now a subject of controversy.
Though the source of controversy is not stated by the writer, Uwujaren, said the Commission is however constrained to state the fact of the visit to forestall needless innuendos and misrepresentation.
What the writer termed as controversial was a scheduled courtesy visit to the Chief Judge, EFCC added.
In further justification, Uwujaren, added that there was nothing secret or clandestine about the visit which was undertaken by Bawa in his capacity as Executive Chairman, EFCC; and not as a prosecution witness in an ongoing criminal trial before a judge of the Lagos High Court.
He said: “As the writer alluded to, it is not strange for heads of anti-corruption agencies to visit heads of judiciary to solicit for synergy. Lagos State Judiciary, in particular, is critical to EFCC as the bulk of the Commission’s cases are domiciled in the jurisdiction.
“Thus, the visit by the EFCC Chairman to the chief Judge of the state was a routine courtesy call which should not be exploited by mischief makers to fan the embers of disaffection between the Commission and members of the Bench.
“The Commission also frowns at the obvious design to draw a non-existent nexus between the visit and the ongoing case where Bawa has been in the witness box for over 5 years.” He said.
The statement was signed by Mr. Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity, EFCC.
