* Tachin not in our custody – EFCC
The chairman of Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Rev. Philip Tachin, has denied rumours of his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged fraud being perpetrated in the board.
Tachin, in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday in Makurdi, said there was no fraud in the board under his watch, neither was he recently questioned or arrested by the anti-graft agency as insinuated in certain quarters at the weekend.
“I want to tell you that it is outright falsehood. It is not true at all. I have not even seen an invitation letter from the EFCC, not to talk of being arrested by them.
“EFCC is an organisation that works according to the law, based on my experience with them. I have gone to EFCC a lot of times. There are old cases there I go to answer because I am the Chief Executive, but before I go there, they send a letter of invitation to me.
“So when the letter comes, I go to clarify some of the things I know. And that’s all about it; so this particular time that people were saying I was arrested by the EFCC, it’s false.
“I think there are some politicians out there that are envious of me and want to damage my reputation by all means. They believe that in politics when they heap heavy allegations against you; false ones for that matter, then you go struggling for those allegations and your name is going down,” he said.
Reacting to the development, Head of Public Affairs of the EFCC’s Zonal office in Makurdi, Nwanyinma Okeanu, said neither the SUBEB boss or the board accountant also mentioned in the rumoured arrest were in their custody.
“I have carried out investigations into the allegation about the SUBEB chairman and accountant. They’re not in EFCC custody either here in Makurdi or in Abuja as the EFCC spokesman (headquarters office) has confirmed to me,” Okeanu added.
