The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied reports that it is currently investigating the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, who faulted the claim in a statement on Wednesday, said linking the source of the report to the agency was mischievous.
“It is important to state that this report did not emanate from the EFCC and the allusion to ‘an EFCC source’ is diversionary and mischievous,” Uwujaren said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, cases under investigation communicated to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation by the Commission are classified information and it is troubling how such would be leaked to the media.”
A report had emerged earlier on Wednesday that the EFCC was investigating a list of high profile persons, including the CJN and former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Others on the purported list are Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, and Justice Abdu Kafarati of the Federal High Court.
“The mastermind of this leak is out to create disaffection between the Commission and, particularly, the Judiciary.
“The Commission wishes to state categorically that it is currently not investigating Justices Onnoghen and Kafarati,” Uwujaren insisted.
He, however, said while Onnoghen was being considered for his present position, the EFCC received some petitions which were investigated and found to be without merit and discarded.
The agency lamented that much damage had been done to its investigation activities by the leak, especially as some of the cases mentioned were at preliminary stages of investigation.
