The former
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,Nuhu Ribadu, has described the previous Inspector General of
Police (IGP), Mike Okiro, as a “shameless liar,” for denying that a former
Delta State Governor, James Ibori, helped him to secure his appointment as the
nation’s number one cop.
Mr. Ribadu, in a statement by his media aide, Abdulaziz
Abdulaziz, argued that “If Okiro is now denying this in public, there is no way
he can deny this open secret to a number of people including an influential
governor from the North-Central then, and a couple of other people who helped
facilitate his selection by Ibori.”
He said it was the same “shameless method of desperate
lobbying” that the former IGP, whom he described as “a chronic political jobber
and sycophant of the first order”, used in securing appointments as Chief
Security Officer to the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
and later as Chairman of the Police Service Commission, PSC.
The former EFCC boss, a retired Assistant Inspector
General of Police, AIG, had told a London court that Mr. Ibori was instrumental
to Mr. Okiro’s appointment as IGP, a claim Mr. Okiro debunked, accusing the
former EFCC boss of falsehood.
Mr. Ribadu said his attention was “drawn to the shameless
lies a former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro recklessly spewed to
the media yesterday.
“The cause of Mr. Okiro’s anger, the statement, in a
London court, by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu that James Ibori was instrumental to his
emergence as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) needs no further equivocation
as it was an open secret to everybody in the government circle then.”
On the allegation that he (Ribadu) wanted to be the IGP,
Mr. Ribadu, said it was a proof that Mr. Okiro was a perennial peddler of
falsehood.
According to the statement, the former EFCC chairman’s
focus then, was consolidating on his efforts at the Commission, especially at a
time he was working on high-profile cases, including that of Mr. Ibori.
It said, “The assertion by Okiro that Ribadu wanted to be
the IGP further underlines the former IGP as a perennial peddler of falsehood.
The truth is Nuhu Ribadu’s focus then was consolidating on his modest efforts
at the EFCC, especially at a time when he was working on high-profile cases,
including that of Okiro’s godfather, James Ibori.
“We therefore challenge Okiro to name those people he
called Ribadu’s friends that narrated the fictitious story of Ribadu’s interest
in becoming the IGP to him,” he said.
According to the statement, Mr. Ribadu regretted that the
former IGP, attempted to rewrite the well-known and widely documented
assassination attempts on him (Ribadu), saying he (Okiro) was now trying to
paint himself in another colour after all the scheming he orchestrated.
“The highest distortion in Okiro’s statement, however, is
his attempt to rewrite the well-known and widely documented assassination
attempts on the former EFCC chairman, and Okiro’s hands in it all. It is
ridiculous that Okiro is now desperately trying to paint himself in another
colour after all the schemings he orchestrated.
On the issue of the withdrawal of Mr. Ribadu’s personal
security, the statement said, “If Okiro is suffering from selective amnesia,
let him be reminded that that was exactly what he did.
“It is a national tragedy that a man of such flawed
character has now been appointed to head an important institution like the
Police Service Commission. May God rescue Nigeria!”
Source: Premium Times
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