[size=14pt]EFCC discovers Rivers State’s officials’ hideout [/size]
By Elor Nkereuwem

Some government officials in Rivers State, who have been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have taken shelter in a hotel, Eddytims Hotel, in the Mile 4 area of the capital city, Port Harcourt, officials of the agency said.

As at press time yesterday, EFCC operatives were still in the process of invading the hotel to arrest the officials who are alleged to have been part of a scheme to divert local government funds to the tune of N12 billion.

EFCC operatives, who spoke in confidence with NEXT, said that while a large number of the indicted officials have fled the state, some had been holed in the hotel for some days now to avoid being arrested.

“The hotel is owned by one Timothy Nwosirim. He is the chairman of Obiakpor local government area and he is one of the officials that the EFCC is looking for,” the EFCC official said yesterday.

Protected by government

While the state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, claims that the EFCC operations is a witch hunt and an abuse of court processes, some reports say the EFCC has accused the governor of shielding the indicted officials.

The EFCC said that the commission is not to blame for the leakage of the intelligence report which led to the escape of the indicted officials. Rather, the agency put the blame on the police and the state governor.

“Rivers State is a volatile State so when operatives are going there, you must seek for support from the local police. The police commissioner must also inform the governor before he sends his men to support EFCC operations. So, between the Rivers State police and the state governor, those are the people who could have instructed the officials to flee,” our source said.

Femi Babafemi, the spokesman of the EFCC, refused to comment on the case.

“We are making progress in the case. That is all I am going to say about this,” Mr. Babafemi said in Abuja, yesterday.

All efforts to get a response from the Rivers State government proved fruitless.

The anti-graft agency says that it is currently on cases of financial crimes in virtually all the states in Nigeria.

“Virtually all state governors in Nigeria siphon local government funds in collaboration with the local government chairmen,” an official of the agency said.

“There is hardly any state in the country that officials are not indicted. We are taking them one after the other. We are currently in Kwara, Ogun, and Jigawa States,” he said.

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