Eyebrows are currently being raised in some quarters in Rivers State after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), concluded plans to set to reopen the books to probe the former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili.
The renewed probe is coming after more than 16 years, when the anti-graft agency alleged that Odili had questions to answer over alleged N100 billion fraud involving him.
Recall that Odili, who at the end of his eight years in government had secured a perpetual injunction, is being questioned about how such a large quantity of money came up in his personal account or was spent during his administration.
The former governor of Rivers State’s troubles started under President Olusegun Obasanjo, when Odili faced overwhelming odds to run for the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential ticket. He was reportedly stopped after learning of some financial irregularities in the administration.
Interestingly, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who was the chairman of the EFCC then is now the National Security Adviser, NSA, to President Bola Tinubu.
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Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, the then Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly under Odili was arrested by the anti-graft agency to extract vital information on the financial transactions of the state.
In 2008, Odili approached a Federal High Court and was granted a perpetual injunction stopping the EFCC, its chairman and other operatives from investigating the financial books of the Rivers State government, including himself or any official of the state on the subject matter.
Africa Today News, New York reports that after nearly two decades, EFCC has now come up to say that it was beaming its searchlight on the alleged fraud involving the former Rivers State governor.
It is difficult to insinuate whether the renewed probe has any link with the political crisis bedeviling the state because Odili is not the only former governor who is being investigated.