CHAIRMAN of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, is likely to continue to have himself under public scrutiny for some time yet, as alleged plan to humiliate him shifts into gear.
The Guardian has learnt that the promoters of the plan, said to include opposition politicians and some indicted governors, feel the only way to stop Ribadu from returning to the EFCC was to undermine his activities at the Commission.
Ribadu was recently sent to the Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, for a year’s course.
The alleged plot seeks to prove that Ribadu was neither the saint he is being made out to be by his supporters nor that his tenure at the EFCC has been one long stretch of selfless service.
As such, a war chest has reportedly been established by some of those who felt undone by the EFCC boss to investigate and unearth as many dirt as they could against him.
It was gathered that series of allegations about Ribadu’s undoing are streaming into the Presidency.
Some of the recent allegations against him included ownership of houses in Nigeria and abroad; mismanagement of the sale of property belonging to convicted swindler, Emmanuel Nwude and the recent non-inclusion of his name on the list of Nigerian lawyers.
A former South-South governor was said to have provided funds running into millions of Naira to prosecute the anti-Ribadu campaign.
Though the plot had been in the pipeline for some time, it was learnt that it has assumed some urgency with the announcement of a man seen as Ribadu’s man Friday and former director of operations of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, as acting chairman of the Commission.
Some of the petitions are also expected to include Lamorde’s perceived misdeeds, “to convince the Presidency that it should do away with the Ribadu era once and for all, as his opponents have been calling for,” said a source in Lagos.
“The battle is just beginning and Nigerians would soon know what kind of man their believed anti-corruption fighter is,” the source said.
There are, however, indications that the Ribadu camp is aware of the plot. “We know there are plans to dig into the activities of the Chairman, but we are not fazed because he has always lived his life in the public,” an aide said.