Leadership (Abuja)
Emmanuel Bello
28 October 2007
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has renewed investigations into the administration of the immediaate past governor of Ebonyi State and also a top contender in the PDP national chairmanship race, Dr. Sam Egwu.
The agency has summoned three persons allegedly involved in the looting of funds belonging to the state to appear at its Ikoyi, Lagos, office tomorrow.
An invitation letter addressed to secretary to the Ebonyi State government and exclusively obtained by LEADERSHIP Sunday gives the names of the persons as G.N. Nwonu, state auditor-general for local governments; Architect Emmanuel Udomaye and Architect Nwagu Ukpa.
The letter, dated October 25, 2007, and signed by Ishaq Salihu on behalf of the EFCC chairman, says the men were being invited over "a case of conspiracy, fraudulent diversion of public funds, stealing and money laundering, in which the above-mentioned oficers featured prominently".
The SSG was requested to release the officers who should report to Mr. Ibrahim Magu at the No. 15A Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, office of the EFCC.
LEADERSHIP Sunday learnt that Udomaye's company, Cute Architectural Projects, was a major contractor to the state government during Egwu's tenure. Udomaye is expected to explain his involvement in multi-billion naira projects linked to the former first family of Ebonyi State, in which he was either the contractor or supervisor.
The projects include Hope High International School, Grace Court Hotel and Suites, Widow Care Foundation headquarters building, and private properties of the Egwus in Abakaliki. Investigations at the EFCC revealed that Nwonu, the former auditor-general for local governments, had sometime ago discovered about N3 billion fraud in the local government system. Instead of being rewarded, he was reportedly suspended by Egwu's administration.
Egwu was earlier in the year charged at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for corrupt practices. The charges were, however, dropped following alleged pressure from the presidency.
An EFCC source alleged that officials of the Ebonyi State government were frustrating their investigations.
The administration of the ex-governor of Ebonyi State is currently being probed by the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
An Abakaliki-based non-governmental organisation, Coalition for Good Governance in Ebonyi State, had petitoned the EFCC and ICPC, accusing Egwu, his wife Eunice and others of looting the state's funds totalling billions. The petitioners also alleged that the former governor corruptly enriched himself with local governments' funds.
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Why isn't anyone probing Sam Egwu yet? And what happened to him being in fresh trouble? Egwu, how do you wake-up in the morning and live with yourself for what you did to Ebonyi State? It may not mean anything to you now, but your dirty work has been exposed, and it's only a matter of time till you crumble! Egwu has billions due to corruption, and he should be brought to justice for the way he savagely raped Ebonyi State! You'll soon get what you deserve!