ICPC asks security operatives to arrest Obono-Obla

Obono-Obla: chairman of the dissolved panel

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said an order  has been given for arrest of the suspended Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Mr Okoi Obono-Obla wherever he is found.

“Signals have been sent to all the law enforcement agencies. Whenever they see him I am sure they will pick him up,” to ICPC Spokesperson, Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa told journalists in Abuja on Friday,

The ICPC spokesperson lamented that the former presidential aide resorted to disseminating propaganda against the commission instead of honouring the invitation of the anti-corruption agency to come and clear the allegations of corruption against him.

Obono-Obla is on the ICPC wanted list for alleged corruption and abuse of office.

The anti-graft agency declared him wanted in October following his alleged repeated failure to honor the commission’s invitations.

However, he has reportedly denied the allegations and dismissed the action of the ICPC as an attempt to ridicule and embarrass him.

He is said to have also denied being invited by the ICPC for questioning before he was declared wanted.

Okoduwa said the commission was aware that the former presidential aide was back in the country, and was even sighted at an event recently.

“We are aware that  Obono-Obla has returned to the county, and everything he has been saying about the commission and its chairman.

“He is reportedly going about saying ICPC is a rival office to his own. I have people calling me to react on what he has said.

“The decent thing is for the gentleman to come to ICPC to clear his name. We have given him an opportunity to clear his name of the allegations against him.

“Come forward, let us hear your own side of the story. We have done our investigations and have facts. We want to confront him with these facts,” she said.

She added that the commission had alerted security agencies to pick him up when seen to enable him to clear the air.

(NAN)