Omisore Demands N500m As Damages From EFCC For Declaring Him ‘Wanted’

EFCC-Wanted-Iyiola OmisoreThe Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in the 2014 governorship election in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has demanded the sum of N500 million from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as damages for declaring him ‘wanted’ and alleging that he failed to honour the anti-graft agency’s summons.
The PDP chieftain also threatened to drag the EFCC and its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, to court if the said sum is not paid to him.
Recall that the commission on Tuesday declared Mr. Omisore wanted in connection with investigations into how he received and misappropriated the sum of over N700 million from the Office of the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
In his immediate response to the announcement declaring him wanted, the former Osun deputy governor said it was a deliberate attempt by the anti-graft agency to tarnish his image.
However, in a follow-up response, this time through his lawyer, Chris Uche, Mr. Omisore said the publication declaring him wanted as published by this medium and others, was both malicious and false.
The lawyer added that it was a total falsehood in all its material aspect.
Mr. Uche in a May 25, 2016 letter addressed to the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, also denied the claim that Mr. Omisore, a former senator, refused to make himself available to the commission for interrogation, stressing that his client sought the protection of the court when he “perceived that the invitation was a deliberate plot to unlawfully arrest and detain him”.
According to the letter, an Abuja High Court had granted an interim order in favour of Mr. Omisore, restraining the federal government through the EFCC and its agents from unlawfully arresting, detaining or interfering with the politician’s fundamental rights without following due process.
It further stated that not only was the commission aware that the order protected Mr. Omisore from honouring its (EFCC) invitation, the anti-graft agency went ahead to file a counter affidavit and preliminary objection to challenge the order of being an impediment to the discharge of its statutory duty.
“Your commission was represented before the honourable court on the 24th of April 2016 when the matter came up, yet you are callously alleging that our client refused to honour an invitation by your commission”, Mr. Uche argued.