JUST-IN; Alleged Diversion Of N117Bn: Court Asked To Compel EFCC, IGP To Probe Wike

A Federal High Court has been asked to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), to probe the deployment of Rivers State’s funds under the tenure of ex-Governor Nyesom Wike.

This was contained in a suit filed by a prominent indigene of the state, Sir Precious Elekima and a group, Incorporated Trustees of Peoples Life Improvement Foundation (PLIF), in which they accused former Governor Wike of allegedly diverting over N117 billion belonging to Rivers State.

In the suit marked: FHC/PH/CS/199/2023 filed on May 30, 2023 in the Port-Harcourt division of the court, Elekima and the PLIF said their resort to the court was as a result of the alleged failure of the IGP, the EFCC and the ICPC to act on their petition, dated May 23, 2023, which was submitted to them.

Elekima and the PLIF particularly urged the court to among others, declare the 1st to 3rd respondents (the IGP, the EFCC and the ICPC) have the statutory duties and powers to investigate their petition against Wike and some named bankers of Rivers State.

They want the anti-graft agencies to prosecute any of them found to have contravened any law within their respective statutory mandates.

The plaintiffs also want the court to issue an order of mandamus directing the 1st to 3rd respondents to investigate the criminal allegations made to them against the 4th to 16th respondents (Wike and the banks) in the said petition and prosecute them or any of them found culpable of the said criminal allegations.

Elekima and the PLIF said that they have in their possession information and documents showing that huge funds were diverted from the Rivers State’s coffers during Wike’s tenure.

They also said that in the course of their official activities they became aware and have reason to reasonably suspect and believe that Wike being the 4th respondent in his capacity as Governor of Rivers State, during his tenure conspired with officials of the Public Service of Rivers State and officials of the 5th to 16th respondents (the banks) to fraudulently withdraw and encash the humongous sum of N117,000,000,000,00 (One Hundred and Seventeen Billion Naira) funds belonging to the Rivers State Government in excess of the threshold permitted by extant laws and financial regulations with intent to misappropriate and divert same and did in fact divert same for his personal benefit.

Elekima and the PLIF further said that they reasonably suspected that Wike in conspiracy with other officials of the Government of Rivers State particularly the 5th to 16th respondents fraudulently withdrew, laundered and embezzled huge funds from the Rivers State internally generated revenue collected and domiciled in several accounts with the 5th to 16th respondents.

According to the plaintiffs; “We reasonably suspect that the 4th respondent also diverted and fraudulently misappropriated huge public funds belonging to the Government and people of Rivers State to his private use, and deployed same in the construction of his expansive palatial private property and residence located along Ada George Road Port Harcourt Rivers State which property and estate is worth and valued far beyond his legitimate earnings.”

Filed with the suit for judicial review, is a motion ex-parte in which the plaintiffs are seeking leave to apply for an order of mandamus.

The named Rivers State’s bankers according to the plaintiffs include, Access, Ecobank, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Fidelity, Guaranty Trust, Unity, Union Bank, Wema, Zenith, First Bank and Heritage Bank.