EFCC BOSS

EFCC, Sylva’s in-law in cocaine tango

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Richie Imoh Tommy, brother-in-law of former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, are currently entangled in controversy over an alleged bag of cocaine.

The controversy erupted as the anti-graft agency yesterday raided the Abuja residence of Tommy.

The operatives were in search of documents and evidence as part of EFCC’s ongoing prosecution of Sylva for the alleged alleged financial crimes perpetrated during his four-year tenure as governor of oil-rich Bayelsa, home state of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Although Tommy was taken into custody by the agency after the raid, a statement attributed to him   read: “In an apparent plot targeted at former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed the Abuja residence of his brother-in-law, Richie Imoh Tommy.

They conducted a thorough search of the house, and when they found nothing incriminating, they produced a bag which they said contained cocaine.

On that basis, Tommy was arrested and has been denied access to his lawyers.

Tommy completely denies ownership of the said bag, and wonders why even without a test or investigation, EFCC would claim to have found cocaine in his house. Besides, it remains curious how EFCC suddenly became a drug-busting organ.

Tommy believes that the EFCC assault on his residence and the allegation of a cocaine-laden bag is another desperate mission targeted at his in-law, the former Bayelsa State governor, by agents of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwajaren said he was not aware of any bag of cocaine.

He said part of what were recovered from Tommy’s residence were international traveling passports of the former governor’s children, some files containing documents of properties of Sylva in diverse places, share certificates of companies in names of different persons suspected to be proxies of the former governor and some other materials incidental to the ongoing trial of Sylva.

Uwajaren said the EFCC is empowered by law to conduct raids such as the one it did at Sylva’s in-law’s residence and would not be deterred in its bid to establish the truth regarding the ongoing trial.

The immediate past governor of Bayelsa State regained his freedom on Thursday , 7th June after spending two days in the custody of the EFCC.

He is facing trial over allegation that he diverted 6.5 billion of naira from the Bayelsa State treasury while he was governor.

The EFCC on Tuesday, 5th June arraigned him on a six-count criminal charge bothering on conspiracy, money laundering and obtaining by false pretence contrary to section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2004, as well as section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004.

Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court in Abuja had remanded Sylva in EFCC custody after he pleaded not guilty during his first appearance on Tuesday, 5th June.