Thursday, 23 April 2015

EFCC After Ex-Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, Over ₦300 Billion Embezzlement.


Ex-Borno state governor Ali Modu Sheriff is to appear before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Thursday. The ex-governor was summoned by the commission and is expected at the Abuja head office to respond to allegations of “misappropriation, embezzlement of funds and abuse of office while he was governor”. Sources have it that, should the ex-governor fail to show up as directed he would be declared wanted and arrested on site. 


Also, detectives are already on his trail watching his every movement. Allegations against the ex-governor are unclear but, sources have gathered that the allegations are related to the ₦300 billion his administration received from the federation account from 2003 to 2011. Mr. Sheriff who ruled Borno State on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) which, he was a senator from 1999 to 2003 on the platform of the same party.

An attempt to get both EFCC spokesman and Mr. Sheriff to comment on this issue was difficult as both phones were unreachable. Mr. Sheriff who have had series of misunderstandings with top government official, the likes of Kashim shettima and Bola Tinubu. The former governor has also been linked with the fierce sect group Boko Haram. An Australian hostage negotiator, Stephan Davies named Mr. Sheriff, alongside a former Chief of Army Staff, Azubuike Ihejirika, and an unnamed Central Bank of Nigeria official as sponsors of the violent group. 


In September 2014, despite the allegation against Mr. Sheriff, which the State Security Service claimed it was investigating at the time, the former Borno governor was in President Jonathan’s company during an official visit to Chadian President, Idris Deby, to discuss how to combat insurgency in Nigeria. The opposition APC and some civil society organisations slammed the president for hobnobbing with the ex-governor. But in defence, the president, through his media adviser, Reuben Abati, accused the opposition and other critics of creating false impression that Mr. Sheriff was part of the president’s official delegation to Chad.

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