…invites Mompha to tender evidence against operatives
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has blasted embattled Ismaila Mustapha, a.k.a Mompha for alleging that the Commission was corrupt.
The Head, Media and Publicity of EFCC, Dele Oyewale, decided to make a public statement after the attention of the Commission was drawn to the “malicious and unsubstantiated statement made by the embattled Ismaila Mustapha, (a.k.a Mompha) alleging corruption by operatives of the Commission.”
Oyewale said: “The claim, coming from an accused in a criminal trial for conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activity, retention of proceeds of criminal activities, failure to disclose assets and property, ought to be ignored as the rantings of a sinking defendant.
“But his claims strike at the heart of the Commission’s most prized value – integrity and must be challenged. The Commission is alarmed that the accused will abandon the platform offered by the court to launch a media war against it through spurious claims.
“If he believes that raising phantom accusations against the Commission will prevent it from diligently prosecuting his case, he is mistaken as no amount of scaremongering will deter the Commission from pursuing the case to a logical conclusion.”
According to Oyewale, Mompha was just a drowning man clutching at any straw owing to the overwhelming evidence of his involvement in the money laundering case. He added that Mompha’s unsubstantiated claims against the EFCC were issues the Commission was taking seriously.
“To this end, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede has directed that Mompha be invited to bring clasping evidence of any issue of corruption against any staff of the Commission. Besides, the socialite should also justify his labelling of the EFCC as a ‘useless agency’ with evidential proofs,” said Oyewale
The image manager further noted that as a responsible law enforcement agency, “the EFCC would not sit back and allow libellous effusions against its reputation to go unchallenged.”
He stressed: “ Mompha cannot be expected to paint the EFCC in bright colours owing to the professional ways officers of the Commission are handling his matter. The EFCC would not be distracted in plying its job by the antics of traducers like Mompha. The general public is, therefore, advised to ignore his ranting. Mompha should rather face his prosecution before a court of competent jurisdiction.”
