Senator Omo-Agege denies asking EFCC to probe Akpabio

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has denied asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio.

Omo-Agege described as fake a letter said to have emanated from the Clerk of the Senate, acting on his behalf and requesting the Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Mr Ibrahim Magu, to investigate the Minister.

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Omo-Agege, in a statement by his media aide, Yomi Odunuga, insisted that he never instructed the Clerk or any other person to contact the EFCC to investigate any individual.

The statement reads: “The attention of the Office of the Deputy President of the Senate has been drawn to a letter dated 7th May, 2020, purportedly written by the Clerk of the Senate acting on behalf of the Office of Deputy President of the Senate requesting the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and monitor the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and one other.

“This Office hereby states that the said letter is false, fake, malicious, mischievous and vexatious.

“This Office never instructed the Clerk of the Senate, or in fact any person, to write to or contact the EFCC in relation to any person.

“In the light of the foregoing, we wish to urge the public to disregard the fake letter, same being the handiwork of a person or persons with criminal intents”.

The letter, which started circulating on the social media on Sunday morning, was allegedly written by the Clerk on Omo-Agege’s behalf to the EFCC.

Omo-Agege, according to the discredited letter, allegedly urged the EFCC boss to commence investigation on Akpabio, over allegations of corruption levelled against him.

The National Assembly is currently probing allegations that the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC, allegedly mismanaged N40bn in three months and had demanded written explanations from Akpabio, whose Ministry supervises the activities of the intervention agency.