Witness narrates how Ex-HoS, allies diverted public funds to private companies in court
Presidency screens EFCC chairmanship candidates
By Dayo Badmus
The secret screening of candidates to head the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) started six days ago.
It is not clear which government agency is screening the candidates.
It is either the Department of State Services (DSS) or National Intelligence Agency (NIA) or an inter-security agency screening panel to make the screening multi-dimensional as every aspect of the lives of the shortlisted candidates will be thoroughly examined.
the exact number of candidates is not known but, investigations have spotted three front-runners, at present.
One of them from the South West, is a retired Commissioner of Police (CP) who has headed the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police.
What recommended him is that while at the SFU, most high profile cybercrimes cases, and related financial crimes cases were referred to him from all Police formations as well as the Force Headquarters.
He made the SFU compete with EFCC in terms of arrests, investigations and prosecutions.
under him, all financial crime cases were treated with dispatch and readily prosecuted.
The second front-runner is a serving Commissioner of Police from Yobe State. He is said to be thorough bred in cracking cybercrimes and other related financial crimes.
He is from North East geo-political zone.
Another front-runner is a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) from the same geo-political zone with the CP.
He had headed the Interpol arm of the Police and one of the state Police commands in the South West. In both places he exhibited prowess of a trained and experienced detective. He is articulate and does not compromise illegality. He is known in the Force as a stern officer.
He had also served in the EFCC as an operational officer at the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).
While in EFCC, he was said to have exhibited prowess with good track records of thorough investigations.
A retired Brigadier–General from the North is also being pushed forward. He is said to be close to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The next EFCC boss would likely be announced before the end of December.
Numerous CVs of many contestants were submitted to the Chief of Staff, the Attorney-General and the National Security Adviser (NSA) by top politicians.
It will be recalled that those who had headed the anti-graft agency are all from the northern part of the country.
The first was retired AIG Nuhu Ribadu from Adamawa State, who was appointed as a serving Deputy Commissioner of Police, before he rose to the rank of AIG.
He was followed by retired AIG Mrs. Farida Waziri from Benue State and married to a Gombe State man. Ribadu’s Director of Operations, AIG Ibrahim Lamorde from Adamawa State took over from Waziri.
Again, Ibrahim Magu also from the North took over from Lamorde.
