Banks Sanitisation: EFCC Alleges Plot Against Waziri

PHOTO: EFCC CHAIRMAN, MRS. FARIDA WAZIRI.

San Francisco Jan 23, (THEWILL) - The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has said it has uncovered a plot to smear the image of the anti-graft agency and its officials especially its Executive Chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri through series of blackmail publications funded by some sacked bank executives who are now being prosecuted in court.

A former top official of the Commission Mr. Tunde Ogunshakin who also equally has a pending criminal case against him is coordinating the plot according to EFCC sources. The plan was hatched at a meeting in Abuja on Thursday January 14, 2010 between the former staff and a senior editorial staff of a Lagos based relatively new weekly newspaper (Premier Weekly) to be used to kick-start their campaign of calumny this week.

Mr. Ogunshakin, a Deputy Comissioner of Police (DCP) was removed from the commission after a student he alleged paid to write an examination on his behalf at the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja was caught.

The EFCC in a statement said, “The commission wishes to alert the public about this evil agenda and assure all, especially the sponsors and executors of this campaign of falsehood that no amount of smear campaign will deter or distract the anti-graft agency and its officials from their commitment to the prosecution of those found to have breached the law.

"There is also the need to emphasize that the active involvement of the former staff does not confer any credibility on their campaign and will equally not stop the Commission from pressing criminal charges against him when investigation into his case is completed.

"The noble men of the pen profession are therefore urged to investigate and verify information passed to them by this gang as their sole aim is purely blackmail and vengeance," it advised.