Lamorde, Ex-EFCC Chair Faces Arrest As Buhari Sacks Him

There are trouble days ahead for immediate past chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, who was sacked late Monday by President Muhammadu Buhari over series of corrupt practices.

The Whistler learnt that Lamorde may be detained over series of allegation of corrupt practices during his time as the anti-graft boss.
Only last week, Buhari directed the commission to commence investigation of their former boss.

Lamorde, who has been replaced by Ibrahim Magu, a top level official of the Economic and Governance Unit of the EFCC, has been the EFCC chairman since 2011.

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The former EFCC boss, who was expected to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, is alleged to have diverted recovered stolen funds amounting to over N1trillion.

In August, the Senate commenced the probe of the EFCC boss following a petition written by one Mr. George Uboh alleging that Lamorde diverted the sum oney recovered from a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and former Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun, to his personal account.

The EFCC boss, according to Uboh diverted the funds when he was the agency’s Director of Operations between 2003 and 2007, and when he was acting Chairman of the commission in 2008.

Sources at the committee said the EFCC boss is likely to appear before committee.

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“You know he was supposed to appear last time but his representatives pleaded that he should be given three weeks and this has since elapsed, so we are expecting him now,” he said.

It would be recalled that the probe of Lamorde created a sharp division at the Upper chamber in August with the PDP caucus chaired by Godswill Akpabio and the Unity Forum faulting the probe, saying the petition was not laid on the floor.

Our correspondent reports that the petition, according to Anyanwu has been laid on the floor.

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