The Kogi state government has dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to court over what it described as “unsubstantiated allegations” over bailout funds.
The anti-graft agency and the Kogi government have been at loggerheads in the last few months over allegations that the state runs an account in Sterling Bank with about N20 billion bailout loans, which the state government denied and asked the EFCC and Sterling bank to apologies to it for falsely misleading the public.
In a statement issued in Lokoja, Kogi State government said it has sued the commission at the state high court, demanding the sum of thirty five billion naira as damages for causing embarrassment to the state.
In the suit, the Accountant-General of Kogi State, Momoh Jibrin; and Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Asiwaju Mukadam Asiru, are claimants in the suit, while the EFCC, Sterling Bank and Central Bank of Nigeria were listed as defendants.
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The thirty five billion naira is demanded as damages against the 1st defendant for the defamatory publication made on November 19, 2021 on her Facebook page containing amongst others, false and unfounded allegations of nineteen point three billion being returned from Kogi State bailout account, which portrays fraud and misappropriation of public fund against the claimant
The state said the court granted “an interim injunction restraining the 1st Defendant/Respondent, its allies, agents, representatives, associates or whoever is acting for them or through them from doing anything either by inviting officials of the 1st Claimant or requesting for any document with respect to the issue involving the account in question.
The Kogi state government asked for an order of the Court, compelling the 1st Defendant to, within 48 hours of the order of the Court, publish in three national dailies, a retraction of her frivolous allegations and also tender unreserved apology to the the state for the defamatory publication.
The state also asked the court to declare the publication by EFCC as “misconceived, wrongful, illegal, and null and void”.
(Editor: Anoyoyo Ogiagboviogie)
