The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has refuted a purported list of former governors under investigation for alleged corruption, which has now gone viral.
There were reports in the media that 58 former governors were under the investigation of the anti-graft agency over alleged corruption.
The former governors, according to reports, were accused of misappropriating N2.187 trillion over 25 years.
The 58 former governors were being probed, while others have been investigated, and prosecuted.
Reacting to the development, the EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Sunday, described the reports as false and misleading.
He said, “the so-called list is a disingenuous fabrication designed to achieve motives known only to the authors.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, feels obliged to dissociate itself from a phantom report circulating in sections of the media claiming it has released a full list of ex- governors being investigated for alleged corruption.
“The report headlined: “EFCC Releases Full List of 58 Ex- Governors that Embezzled N2 .187 Trillion”, in one of the news outlets, is false and mischievous as the Commission neither issued the said list nor entertained discussions on investigation of ex-governors with any news medium.”
The anti-graft agency, however, urged the public to disregard the report, saying “it is false and misleading.”
It also urged media practitioners to crosscheck facts about matters under investigation with the Commission to avoid misleading the public with false and inaccurate reports.
Recall that the EFCC has been probing some former governors over allegations of corruption and misappropriation of public funds.
The anti-graft agency is probing former Governor, Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.
He has been arraigned on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.
According to the EFCC, the embattled ex-governor withdrew $720,000 from the state’s accounts to pay his child’s school fees in advance just before he left office on January 27, 2024.
The EFCC said Bello moved the money from the state coffers to a Bureau de Change operator, and used the money for his child’s school fee in advance.