EFCC invite Senator Ekweremadu to appear in its offices tomorrow for questioning

DEPUTY senate president Senator Ike Ekweremadu is to be grilled by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials tomorrow over claims that he illegally amassed properties worldwide using public funds.

In March, anti-graft officials asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to temporarily seize some properties including two houses in the UK belonging to Senator Ekweremadu. According to the Okoi Obono-Obla Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Senator Ekweremadu failed to declare of the said properties in his assets declaration forms dated June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2015.

Before then, in February, Sahara Reporters revealed that Senator Ekweremadu owned two choice properties in the UK with a combined value of £3.73m.  According to the news outlet, UK land registry documents list the addresses of the properties as 52 Aylestone Avenue, London, NW6 7AB and Flat 4, Varsity Court, 44, Homer Street, London, W1H 4NW.

According to anti-graft officials, nine of the targeted properties are in Abuja and apart from the two in London, eight are in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and three are in Florida, in the US. Fighting back, however, in a motion he filed in opposition to the ex-parte application, Senator Ekweremadu contended that the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property had no locus standi to file a suit for the forfeiture of his houses.

Last week, following the drama in the senate that involved 15 senators decamping from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ekweremadu invited for questioning by the EFCC. Seen as a political move to silence him following his role in the defections, the EFCC has announced that it intends to question the deputy senate president on some assets linked to him and he has been invited to visit their offices at 10am tomorrow morning.

One EFCC source said: “We have delivered a fresh letter of invitation to Ekweremadu and he has confirmed the receipt. Our detectives are expected to interrogate Ekweremadu on some assets linked with him.

"The EFCC is suspecting that the assets were acquired with suspicious funds. Some of these assets have been located in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.”

Last week, the EFCC and police operatives stormed Senator Ekweremadu’s residence in Abuja, saying it was investigating a case of conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering. Observers had suggested that it was a ploy to take him out of circulation ahead of the heated plenary that witnessed the defection of some APC senators to the Peoples Democratic Party, of which Senator Ekweremadu is a leading member.