The Independent Corrupt Practices and other
Related Offences Commission has said it may invite the former Oyo State
governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, for questioning following the
appearance of six of his commissioners before the commission.
The ICPC said it had also summoned the accountant-general of the state to appear before the commission.
The invitation came in the wake of Tuesday’s arrest by the ICPC of six commissioners of the state under Alao-Akala.
ICPC’s Resident Media Consultant, Mr. Folu Olamiti, said in Abuja that the six commissioners had been granted bail and told to return next week.
He added that other officials of the government, including the former governor, might be invited if the commission found anything against them.
“It may get to a stage where the governor too may be invited since those commissioners were his aides. We are closely studying the statements of his commissioners,” Olamiti said.
The AG, he said, would make clarifications on the statements made by the five commissioners to the ICPC.
Alhaji Majekodunmi Aborode(Environment and Water Resources); Mr. Adebayo Bankole(Finance); Alhaji Raheem Musilim (Works and Transport); Nureni Adeniran(Education); Kunle Ishola (Agric and Natural Resources); and Dr. Kola Balogun(Commerce and Cooperative) were arrested and interrogated by operatives of the commission on Tuesday over five petitions that the anti-graft agency received from members of the public.
Olamiti said the anti-graft agency was investigating the allegations of corruption against the commissioners in order not to leave any loopholes.
“Things should be done in a systematic and professional way. They have been asked to come back next week. We have commenced preliminary investigations based on the five petitions against them,” he said.
Olamiti said with so many public officers just out of office, there would be a barrage of petitions against them that the ICPC would have to investigate.
But the ICPC spokesman could not confirm if there were petitions against the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, with the commission.
“If there are any petitions against him (Bankole), the office of the chairman will be looking into that, but since our sister organisation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, is working on petitions against the Speaker, we have to slow down,” he said.
By Olamilekan Lartey, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
The ICPC said it had also summoned the accountant-general of the state to appear before the commission.
The invitation came in the wake of Tuesday’s arrest by the ICPC of six commissioners of the state under Alao-Akala.
ICPC’s Resident Media Consultant, Mr. Folu Olamiti, said in Abuja that the six commissioners had been granted bail and told to return next week.
He added that other officials of the government, including the former governor, might be invited if the commission found anything against them.
“It may get to a stage where the governor too may be invited since those commissioners were his aides. We are closely studying the statements of his commissioners,” Olamiti said.
The AG, he said, would make clarifications on the statements made by the five commissioners to the ICPC.
Alhaji Majekodunmi Aborode(Environment and Water Resources); Mr. Adebayo Bankole(Finance); Alhaji Raheem Musilim (Works and Transport); Nureni Adeniran(Education); Kunle Ishola (Agric and Natural Resources); and Dr. Kola Balogun(Commerce and Cooperative) were arrested and interrogated by operatives of the commission on Tuesday over five petitions that the anti-graft agency received from members of the public.
Olamiti said the anti-graft agency was investigating the allegations of corruption against the commissioners in order not to leave any loopholes.
“Things should be done in a systematic and professional way. They have been asked to come back next week. We have commenced preliminary investigations based on the five petitions against them,” he said.
Olamiti said with so many public officers just out of office, there would be a barrage of petitions against them that the ICPC would have to investigate.
But the ICPC spokesman could not confirm if there were petitions against the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, with the commission.
“If there are any petitions against him (Bankole), the office of the chairman will be looking into that, but since our sister organisation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, is working on petitions against the Speaker, we have to slow down,” he said.
By Olamilekan Lartey, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
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