CCB commissioners accuse chairman of sitting on petitions against public officers

Six commissioners in the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) have accused the anti-graft agency’s chairman, Prof. Mohammed Isah, of blocking investigations on petitions against civil and public officers. 

 The commissioners, led by Dr Emmanuel Attah, alleged this in a joint petition submitted to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions. 

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They alleged that the CCB chairman was sitting on petitions against public officers with multi million and billion naira assets not stated in their assets’ declaration forms. 

The Senate panel, probing the petition against Isah, had invited all parties involved last Friday, but he was absent; while five out of the six commissioners were present. 

The committee, chaired by Senator Ayo Akinyelure, summoned Isah to appear on Thursday to defend the allegations against him. 

Akinyelure said: “The seriousness of the matter lies in the fact that the petitioners are even the six federal commissioners appointed to be working with him in the fight against corruption.

“The commissioners are here, but the chairman, who is in the eye of the storm, is not here. We’ve gone through all the issues raised in the jointly signed petition by the commissioners and they’re very disturbing if eventually proven.

Addressing reporters, one of the commissioners, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, said they petitioned the Senate to save CCB from self-inflicted incapacitation. 

He said: “The N109bn loot linked to the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, was first reported to CCB through petitions, but prevented from being acted upon by the chairman. 

“Corruption must be killed in Nigeria before it kills us and anybody not ready to join in the fight or war against it should be shown the way out of public service, particularly those saddled with responsibilities of curbing corrupt practices in the country like CCB.”

When contacted a senior official of the CCB, told Daily Trust that the allegations were a figment of the commissioners’ imaginations.

The official, who pleaded anonymity, said: “The house is not in order presently, but that is not a reason for them to go to the press to fight.”