The anti-graft agency and Sowore have been at loggerheads following the identity of the forfeited 753 duplexes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore has lashed out at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the seized properties in the nation’s capital.
Sowore accused the agency of hiding the identity of the individual that owned the seized properties.
In a post on Facebook, EFCC had cautioned Sowore over his remarks.
Recall that the commission had on Monday, revealed that it secured the final forfeiture of the duplexes and other apartments on Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, through the FCT High Court.
The commission, however, failed to reveal the identity of the property’s owner, referring only to a “Top Brass” and a former government official.
This angered some concerned citizens, especially Sowore, who accused the agency of doing Public Relations (PR) for thieves.
But the EFCC, in its response, faulted Sowore’s claim, explaining that it would be unprofessional to mention the names of individuals whose identities were not directly linked to any title document of the properties.
It stated that the denigration of the commission’s efforts by Sowore and his “think-same and act-same” group, “is unacceptable and grossly uncharitable.”
Reacting, Sowore, in a statement on Wednesday, described the EFCC’s attacks on him as “most reckless and irresponsible.”
According to Sowore, instead of doing what was necessary, the EFCC “came after me for daring to ask them to name the top brass. Here is my response to the attached documents.”
“Yesterday, Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), attacked me for asking them to name the Nigerian Top Brass publicly that they claimed was involved in their biggest-ever asset recovery case. Instead of naming the culprit, they chose to attack my person for asking that this pertinent question be answered, especially considering that they don’t hesitate to ask small-time thieves to display their names and offenses on placards and engage in photoshoots at the commission’s photo studios.
“Instead of doing what was necessary, they came after me for daring to ask them to name the top brass. Here is my response to the attached documents.
“This is the most reckless and irresponsible statement I’ve read from a government agency in a long while. The assertions here are also patently irresponsible.
“I have obtained court proceedings and an affidavit sworn to by an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigator, who named the names of those behind this real estate fraud.”