EFCC top investigator allegedly escapes death as gunmen storm hqtrs

Armed gunmen in the early hours of Wednesday reportedly stormed the headquarters of the  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allegedly in search of a top investigator of the anti-graft agency.

In a statement released to the press regarding the incident, the commission’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, while displaying a picture of a Toyota Hilux van with some bullet holes, said that the attackers may have aimed for one of their top investigators, Ishaku Sharu.

“A major security breach was recorded at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the early hours of Wednesday, August 16, 2017, as unknown gunmen attacked the office located at Wuse Zone 7, Abuja.

“The group of heavily armed bandits invaded the office at about 05.00 hours and began shooting into the premises, damaging vehicles parked in the premises in the process. However, the attack was repelled by guards on duty.

Read also: THE BIG READ: Who unseats Buhari in 2019? Contenders, pretenders and unknowns

“The hoodlums escaped in a getaway vehicle but not without leaving a message; a white envelope dropped by the fleeing attackers was found to contain a death threat addressed to Ishaku Sharu, a senior investigator with the commission,” he said.

He added, “Ishaku, who heads the foreign exchange malpractices fraud section, is in charge of corruption investigation involving several politically exposed persons and retired military brass hats.

“The attack on the Zone 7 office, which houses the commission’s AMCON desk, procurement fraud and foreign exchange malpractices sections, is coming few weeks after another investigator, Austin Okwor, was shot and wounded by unknown assailants in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.”

Uwujaren said that the incident had already been reported to the police for investigation.

EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu, who has been denied confirmation twice by Nigeria’s National Assembly, recently made media rounds where he reiterated his determination to prosecute the anti-corruption war to a logical conclusion.

The Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government has always maintained that corrupt Nigerians were fighting back, making the Commission’s work a herculean task.

 

RipplesNigeria ….without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now