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EFCC summons Peter Odili, Okereke-Onyuike,
5 others
From MURPHY GANAGANA, Abuja
Monday, September 7, 2009
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•Dr.
Peter Odili
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC], has summoned
former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, to appear before
it on Wednesday.
This is in furtherance of the ongoing process of recovering non-performing
loans granted to some high profile customers by five banks which
recently fell under the CBN hammer.
His letter of invitation was signed on Friday by the Director of
Operations of the anti-graft agency.
This is coming even as Odili had reportedly secured a court order
restraining the EFCC from inviting or arresting him over a N180
million loan he obtained from FinBank Plc., one of the five banks
whose management was sacked last month by the CBN. But a top official
of the EFCC who pleaded anonymity told Daily Sun that the commission
is not aware of any court order restraining it from inviting the
ex-governor like every other person whose name appeared on the list
of bank debtors.
“The commission chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri, directed that
names of all those whose names appeared on the debtors list but
had not been invited should be compiled and invitation sent to them.
So it was on that basis that Odili was also invited among several
others,” the source hinted yesterday.
Also summoned to appear before investigators are the chairman
of Transcorp, Mrs. Ndi Okereke-Onyuike, and five other directors
of the organization. Although the exact date in which they are expected
to show up at the EFCC could not be ascertained as at the time of
filing this report, it was however gathered that they were directed
to report to the commission within this week.
EFCC spokesman, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed the development
when contacted for comments, said the move is an indication of intensified
efforts to recover the huge debts owed the five troubled banks which
included Afribank, Intercontinental, Union Bank of Nigeria, Oceanic
Bank, and FinBank.
Amidst reports that runaway managing director of Intercontinental
Bank, Dr. Erastus Akingbola had returned to the country, Babafemi
said he was not in a position to confirm or deny the reports, but
noted that the operatives of the commission are on his trail.
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