A NORTH-CENTRAL governor is under probe for allegedly withdrawing N60 billion in cash in six years, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Executive Chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa has confirmed.
The fraud, according to him, was uncovered by the newly-created Department of Intelligence under his administration.
He spoke of plans to update Nigerians on the behind-the-scene investigations bordering on cybercrime and politically exposed persons (PEPs), adding that the agency has secured 1,576 convictions within 11 months.
Bawa’s disclosures were contained in an interview published in EFCC Alert, an in-house journal of the commission.
Although the interview was said to have been granted to Television Continental (TVC), the transcript was published in the magazine.
Only one of the six states in the Northcentral is controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The others are under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Bawa did not however, disclose the identity of the affected governor.
There were indications that President Muhammadu Buhari has received preliminary report on the governor.
Bawa said: “I can tell you for free that the new Department of Intelligence that we have created is working. They have come up with a lot of intelligence.
“In one of them, a governor in a Northcentral state within the last six years (one individual) has withdrawn over N60 billion in cash.
“We are looking at all of that, and I assure you that at the end of all of our investigations, Nigerians are going to be briefed of what we are doing behind-the-scene on cybercrime, politically exposed persons as well as engaging government agencies to ensure that we have better processes and procedures on how to do government business.”
Bawa, who confirmed that ex-Governor Lucky Igbinedion is still under investigation after the initial conviction, tersely addressed the case.
He added: “I can assure you that we are working (on them). We don’t want to talk about matters that are under investigation.
“Yes, we invited a former governor (Lucky Igbinedion) for interrogation. He was with us for two days and he has been released. Investigation is ongoing, but we are being careful and cautious. So, we won’t be accused of engaging in a media trial.”
On the convictions secured by the agency since he came on board, Bawa said: “From January to November 16, 2021 we have recorded an unprecedented 1,576 convictions; it is an unprecedented number of convictions.
“The highest number of convictions that the Commission secured previously was 1,282 or thereabout. So, we have beaten that record.
“I have said it time and again; no agency of government has contributed to the development of law in Nigeria in the last 10 years than the EFCC.
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