The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has reportedly recovered the sum of $1M from Alex Badeh, immediate past Chief of Defense Staff, after a search was carried out in one of his mansions located in Abuja by officials of the Commission. The property is said to be worth over N1.1bN, being one of his five properties that have been seized by the anti-graft agency.
Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Debo Adeniran, in responding to the development, lauded the gallant efforts of the EFCC in the cash recovery and its entire anti-corruption drive. He charged the anti-graft agency and the judicial authorities to see to the unbiased treatment of this case and ensure that, optimal and appropriate sanctions are administered to the accused In line with the law, if found guilty as charged.
Badeh, who is being charged with several allegations including the alleged purchase of a commercial plot of land at plot 1386, Oda Crescent, Cadastral zone AO7, Wuse 2, Abuja valued at N650m; the payment of N878m for the construction of a shopping mall at Cadastral Zone A07, Wuse 2, Abuja, and another sum of N304m to complete the construction etc. has been arraigned by the EFCC before a Federal High Court in Abuja on 10 counts of money laundering and consequently remanded at Kuje Prison, Abuja till 10 March 2016 for hearing on his bail application. ‘’Another welcomed development’’ said Mr. Adeniran when commenting on Badeh’s remand at the prison. ‘’It will show to those that are in public offices and considered to be high and lofty in the society they are not above the laws of the land and will serve as deterrent to other corrupt persons in the society’’, he added.
The anti-corruption Crusader stressed that; ‘’the era of sacred cows and treating corruption issues only in the media must be eclipsed, if we want corruption to be rooted out of our polity. The situation whereby corrupt public officials with outrageous evidences of corruption will be granted bail and made to enjoy limitless freedom all in the name of looking for evidence and witnesses, even in the face of evidence scattered everywhere must end, if we all want to successfully redeem the country’s national and international image.’’
CACOL therefore calls EFCC and the other agencies not relent in their efforts to bring those that looted the treasury of the nation to book. All the cases must be pursued to logical conclusions; diligent investigations and prosecutions must be carried out to achieve convictions, President Buhari must continue to demonstrate the political will to combat corruption no matter whose ox is gored.
Wale Salami
Media Coordinator, CACOL
080141121208
cacolc@yahoo.com,cacol@thehumanitycentre.org
March 9, 2016.
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