EFCC Raids Lagos House of Assembly

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday raided the Lagos State House of Assembly and carted away what it called valuable documents from the office of the speaker and the assembly’s accounts department.

The raid, which was carried out by a team of the commission officials that is investigating alleged financial mismanagement levelled against the assembly’s speaker, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, was necessitated by new developments that countered the speaker’s claims on the mode of disbursement of the assembly’s funds. Ikuforiji had claimed in his statement of defence last weekend that the assembly receives N500 million monthly as running cost.

The speaker, according to the investigation, also told the commission that of the amount, he disburses N5 million monthly to each of the 40 members of the assembly.This, however, is turning to a claim that has become too bogus for his colleagues to swallow.

According to a source, “Some of the speaker’s colleagues in the assembly came up with information to the effect that they receive N500,000 monthly and not N5 million as claimed by Ikuforiji. “This made the EFCC team to relocate to Lagos to raid Ikuforiji’s office and the accounts department. We are interested in it and we want to look at the books to find out the actual amount the speaker disburses to the lawmakers. “We are also interested in what the speaker does with the remainder of N480 million monthly, if it is true that the lawmakers receive N20 million as against the N200 million (N5 million for each of the 40 lawmakers) the speaker claimed he disburses monthly.”

The newspaper also gathered that Ikuforiji is keeping another date with the EFCC team today in Lagos to answer questions arising from the documents carted away from his office and the accounts department yesterday. Meanwhile, some members of staff of the assembly have decried the handling of the allegation of N7 billion fraud against the speaker by the EFCC, saying the commission was completely misled. A member of staff of the assembly, who received the speaker into his office yesterday amidst jubilation before the EFCC raid, said it was clear even from the content of the said petition signed by one Olawale Williams that the issue was more political than the impression being created.

The worker, who identified himself as Olatunde, said it smacked of professional inefficiency on the part of EFCC to have taken the steps it did on the issue without having to first investigate the allegation and uphold that which is the truth. “You know, being a civil servant, I am not even meant to talk to you but you can call me Olatunde. The allegation against the speaker, honestly calls for concern because when politics assumes a level as bitter as this, the players should be wary of their actions and utterances. “It is true that the assembly collects N500 million monthly, but do I need to tell you that it is not a sum meant for the speaker alone? So, why would anyone sit back and accuse one man of having embezzled the money meant for an entire institution, the 40 members especially? That’s crude and unfair.

“Apart from the office of the speaker, the 39 other members of the assembly are shared their legitimate part of the money for the running of their offices. The over 600 staff of the assembly are maintained from the same running cost. Both the local and international training of members and staff are funded from this money. “Not just that, the oversight functions of members often require the services of consultants which is also funded from the money. Members of staff of the assembly are taken care of during festive periods as a matter of tradition. That is also funded from the running cost. So, tell me, how is it now possible that an individual who was elected the same way as others would now appropriate everything at the expense of others? That’s impossible,” he said.

The civil servant also cautioned the spokesperson of EFCC, Mr. Femi Babafemi, to refrain from churning out false information. This, he said, would not be good for the image of the commission and might also corroborate insinuations that he was working with opponents of the speaker. “For instance, when asked during a television interview on whether the speaker was arrested or that he came on his own, Femi alleged that the speaker only came because he got the wind that the operatives were coming to pick him up. That’s untruthful and if I may ask, who hinted the speaker? Is Femi saying there is a mole in the EFCC? Femi is also biased already and this is not good for our system.

“It is in the interest of the EFCC that they tread with caution on this issue. The entire story is being twisted completely and it is for a sinister political reason. But this is already common knowledge. What I know is that the speaker will not suffer for the crime he did not commit, so, let the investigation run its course. The House under Ikuforiji is a good story today and nothing can change that,” he said.