Amosun, Okorocha, Yari and Abdulfatai all face the prospect of arrest after May 29

FOUR governors including Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State are facing the prospect of arrest by the Economic and Financial crimes Commission (EFCC) after May 29 when their immunity from prosecution lapses.

Under Nigeria's constitution, sitting governors and their deputies cannot be arrested or prosecuted, so anyone thought to be guilty of financial impropriety cannot be toughed until their tenure ends. Over the weekend, it was reported that Governor Okorocha, Amosun, Abdulaziz Yari and Abdulfatai Ahmed of Imo, Ogun, Zamfara and Kwara States are all being investigated by the EFCC for financial crimes.

None of the four governors are returning, having all served their mandatory two terms and it was reported that the EFCC has already set up investigation teams to go after them immediately after May 29. Governor Amosun for instance, is accused of deceiving Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, when he came to the state for and diverted the funds given to Ogun State for a personal project for personal use.

It is alleged that Governor Yari for his part diverted N500m and $500,000 from the state coffers in 2017. This money, part of Paris Club refunds disbursed to states, was recovered from two firms, First Generation Mortgage Bank and Gosh Projects, linked to Governor Yari.

Governor Okorocha is accused of moving over N1bn from the state government to aid the campaign activities of Uche Nwosu, his son-in-law. Already, the EFCC has arrested Uzoho Casmir, the Imo State accountant-general for assisting the governor to move the said funds.

Governor Ahmed is said to have successfully diverted the sum of N1bn from the state coffers, a few days before presidential election. Already the EFCC has arrested six commissioners and government officials who might be involved with the movement of the cash, while bank officials have been invited for questioning and made documents available to the commission.

Today, however, the EFCC said it has not yet raised a team to probe the four governors since it does not probe and prosecute suspects based on speculation but on completed investigation and evidence. EFCC spokesman Tony Orilade, added that no one will be arrested until investigations are complete.

Mr Orilade said: “It is instructive to note that the report did not give the composition and terms of reference of the purported teams set up by the EFCC. The report is a figment of the imagination of the reporter as everything about the setting of the teams ended with the first paragraph without details of such teams being set up.

“Again, the story is not true, as the EFCC does not go after anybody, including ex-governors on speculative grounds. For the avoidance of doubt, the commission only acts after the investigators have done a thorough job on any individual or firm involved in corruption related cases.”