Former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission boss, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has hit out at her successor, Mrs.Farida Waziri, claiming she is a liar who seek undue relevance and importance. Ribadu disclosed this in a press release, following
Waziri's defense of her integrity, following former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s allegation that ex-Governor James Ibori head-hunted her to lead the commission. It will also be recalled that Ribadu has also maintained that
he prosecuted Obasanjo 'boys' during his tenure against widespread belief that he was Obasanjo attack dog.
Below is the Press statement from Nuhu Ribadu
My attention has been drawn to the press statement issued by the
immediate past chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, Mrs Farida Waziri, in a reaction to statements credited to former
President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
While I had tried not to comment on the activities of the EFCC or my
successors in office to avoid subjectivism, I however find it expedient
to clear my name of careless and mischievous references made by Mrs
Waziri. I am therefore writing this with utmost reluctance, public
debate having been polluted with deliberate tincture of amnesia,
necessitating umpteenth repetition of a simple fact that should have
sank once and for all. It is sad that merchants of falsehood keep
recycling crooked statements to the point of cliche, in spite of
attempts at clarifications.
Firstly, it is not correct that I worked under Mrs Waziri, as she
always claim.This is a naked lie that she keeps flaunting to seek undue
relevance and validate her own appointment. At no time in my career did I
work under the same section or unit as her. In fact, contrary to the
Waziri's claim that She "trained" me, it was I that actually lectured
her and others, on fraud investigation and prosecution, when she was
newly posted as Head of Special Fraud Unit, even though she was my
senior in rank. I was then the Head of Prosecution at the Tribunals
under the leadership of Mr Sunday Ehindero, then CP Legal.
On the issue that EFCC under my leadership was used to push through
the aborted third term agenda, it is evident that Mrs Waziri, who was
nowhere near EFCC at the time, is ignorant of what transpired. It is
saddening that after all the damage inflicted on the operations and
credibility of the EFCC by Mrs Waziri, she turns back to abuse the young
men and women who had put in all their energy in cleaning up our
country especially during that critical time, by dismissing their work
and sacrifice.
As I had cause to state in a recent article on my stewardship of the
EFCC, we almost deliberately avoided going after governors and public
servants from the opposition to avoid the charges of bias or doing the
bidding of the government. Moreover, we halted our works on the
politically exposed persons throughout the period of the third term
debacle, to insulate and protect the integrity of the Commission.
EFCC was not about Nuhu Ribadu. Rubbishing its work, therefore, is
like insulting all the thousands of its operatives across the country
who put their lives in the line to make Nigeria a better country. If Mrs
Waziri has a personal score to settle with anybody, she should direct
her attack at the person but not the organization.
Nuhu Ribadu
