The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has denied a newspaper report which quoted the agency’s chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde as saying that the outgoing president, Goodluck Jonathan failed to fund the agency.
The commission dismissed the report as mere fabrication by the reporter.
“In the first place, Lamorde who is currently out of the country did not speak with the media and could not have made the comments attributed to him by The Sun newspapers.
“The occasion that provided the basis for the false report by The Sun was a media briefing by Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, spokesperson of the EFCC, who addressed more than 40 journalists from over 30 media organizations at the Commission’s monthly media briefing in Abuja on May 25, 2015.
“At no time during the event did Uwujaren comment on the performance or lack of it, by the Jonathan administration let alone accusing it of poor performance or starving the Commission of funds.
“He was only asked a question on the Commission’s view on the focus which the in-coming Buhari administration places on the fight against corruption, to which he responded that the Commission, like most Nigerians who are bothered about the problem of corruption, welcomes the focus which he believes will further empower the EFCC in the pursuit of its mandate of fighting economic crimes and corruption.
It is a great disservice to society when journalists fabricates and twist issues to serve motives that are not altruistic.”