Resign Immediately, Anti-Corruption Group Tells EFCC Chairman

In a statement issued by its protem Coordinator, Mr. Mohammed Saliu, on Sunday, the ACC said that Lamorde had failed to appear before the Senate after being summoned, to defend allegations of fraud directed at him.

You will recall that the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions subsequently invited Lamorde to answer to the allegations of diverting over N2.061tr recovered funds. The EFCC boss, however, refused to show up.

Lamorde had been accused by one George Uboh of diverting monies recovered from a convicted former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun; and a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

The group however gave Lamorde a seven-day ultimatum to appear before the Senate or resign.

The group said, “It has been two weeks since the nation was greeted with a series of weighty allegations of fraud against the EFCC chairman as contained in a petition submitted to the Senate by a whistleblower, Mr. George Uboh.

“On August 26, the Senate held a public hearing on the allegations of fraud against Lamorde but he snubbed the panel.

“Two weeks after, Mr Lamorde is still yet to appear before the Senate Committee or offer the Nigerian public whose taxes are being used to pay his salary and fund the agency, any explanation or defence. We find this strange, abnormal and ridiculous.”

The group expressed determination to embark on protests and legal actions to compel Lamorde to speak up, resign or be sacked,

They wondered why the embattled EFCC boss would think that his silence would make Nigerians forget the alleged fraud.

They said, “Following these weighty and yet-to-be-denied allegations of fraud against Lamorde, in addition to his silence so far which we now interpret to mean admission of guilt, we hereby declare that Mr. Lamorde has lost the moral ground to continue as the Chairman of the EFCC and demand his immediate resignation or sacking by President Muhammadu Buhari.”