EFCC FINALLY BOWS TO AGF, SUBMITS LIST OF 103 HIGH PROFILE CASES

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has finally made the details of the high profile cases being handled by the anti - corruption agency available to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice based on request ,

SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt .

Sources at the commission told our correspondent that the list sent to the AGF’ s office a fortnight ago , comprised 103 high - profile cases.

Those on the list, it was learnt , include top - ranking judicial officers , including a justice of the Supreme Court , a judge of the Federal High Court , and a sacked justice of the Court of Appeal .

The judges named in the list are said to be different from those arrested by the State Security Services in October last year .

None of the judicial officers currently being prosecuted across the country is on the list.

Also on the list are some former governors , one of whom is currently serving as a minister in the President Muhammadu Buhari ’ s cabinet , and others serving their terms in the Senate.

Other politically - exposed persons named in the list are some former ministers , senators and some persons being investigated for the $ 2 . 1 bn arms purchase scam .

Although, the sources refused to reveal the identities of the high - profile suspects on the list because of “ possible negative implications such revelation could have on ongoing investigations” , they informed

SUNDAY PUNCH that the cases were at various stages .

Investigations were said to have been completed in majority of the cases while investigation was stalled in some of them due to “ disappearance ” of the suspects from Nigeria .

“ Some of the cases are still at intelligence- gathering stage, while some are at investigation stage.

“ There are some that are at the stage of charges being drafted while some are already ongoing in court but foot-dragging , ” a source at the EFCC told

SUNDAY PUNCH .

The PUNCH had exclusively reported in July 2016 , that the AGF had written separate letters to the EFCC and the ICPC requesting the case - files of 31 former governors being investigated or prosecuted by the anti - corruption agencies .

On the list then , were the names of the Senate President , Dr . Bukola Saraki (who is a former Governor of Kwara State ); a former Governor of Borno State , Ali Modu Sheriff ; and Senate Minority Leader , Godswill Akpabio ( who is a former governor of Akwa Ibom State ).

The list also contained the names of ex - governors Orji Uzor Kalu ( Abia ); Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu ); Saminu Turaki (Jigawa ); Sule Lamido ( Jigawa ); and Joshua Dariye ( Plateau ) .

Others are , former governors Ahmed Yerima ( Zamfara ); Gabriel Suswam ( Benue ); James Ibori (Delta ); Martin Elechi (Ebonyi ); Danjuma Goje ( Gombe ) and Murtala Nyako ( Adamawa ), Ikedi Ohakim (Imo ) and Peter Odili ( Rivers).

It was learnt that the request by the AGF’ s office was recently updated with the inclusion of the names of other politically - exposed persons such as the Senator representing Anambra North , Stella Oduah.

Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions and Chairman of the newly - constituted Recovery of Public Property Panel , Chief Okoi Obono -Obla , in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH , confirmed that the AGF’ s office had received the list from the EFCC but refused to give details .

Obono - Obla , who works under the AGF, said the ICPC would send its list to the AGF when the new chairman of the commission is inaugurated.