Stop whipping up sentiments, ICPC responds to Obono-Obla’s letter

The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) has asked the former chairman of the Special Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Okoi Obono-Obla, to stop whipping public sentiments over his indictment for alleged fraud.

This was in reaction to letter written by Obono-Obla where he claimed he was been persecuted by the office of Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo because of his loyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Obono-Obla, who was suspended in August over alleged falsification of records and financial impropriety, claimed that even those who stole billions and contributed to wrecking the economy did not receive such treatment.

Reacting, the ICPC Chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye, described Obono-Obla’s letter to the President as a “shenanigan” to cover up the allegations against him.

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Owasanoye stated this on Thursday in Abuja at a Special Town Hall Meeting on Fight Against Corruption, organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture.

He said, “The strongest defense for an accused person is to come out and say I did not do it.

“Any other defence is a shenanigan,’’ he said.

The ICPC boss said that such allegation was common among political exposed accused persons who liked to weave religious, ethnicity and partisanship sentiment to cover up for their misdeeds.

He said some of such accused persons even parade fake medical reports and gave excuses that they travel abroad to circumvent their trial.

Owasanoye, therefore, welcomed the move by the anti-corruption agencies to sanction any medical Doctor that issue fake medical reports.

He added that reports of oversea travels by suspects would also be investigated to ascertain their veracity.

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