By Ise-Oluwa Ige
Former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, yesterday dared the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to begin his probe over his alleged involvement in monumental fraud while he held office as the state chief helmsman.

Attah who said he committed no offence that could warrant his arrest, detention and prosecution in a law court noted that he was not bothered by negative comments of some people against the administrative bail granted him by EFCC last week he honoured the invitation of the anti-graft agency.

He also dissociated himself from some of the allegations levelled at the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori.

The former Akwa Ibom governor spoke through his counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN.

The Lagos-based member of the inner bar said after about two years of investigating his client, the commission gave him a clean bill of health.  Ozekhome was reacting to a comment by an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Mr. Kayode Ajulo that the EFCC should not have released Attah on bail.

He further said he should have been charged to court after the conclusion of investigation.

But the Senior Advocate disagreed with Ajulo on the ground that the former governor, until recently has never been invited, summoned or cautioned by any security agency in the country.

Ozekhome said, “It is the EFCC that has the onus to prove his guilt if it finds anything incriminating against him. They have not. EFCC should be lauded and encouraged for wearing a human face against corruption within the confines of the rule of law without compromising its efficiency and effectiveness.

“The EFCC should have no power to detain a person when there is no suggestion that such a person has committed an offence or will escape from justice.

“There is no basis for comparing Attah’s mere invitation by EFCC to clarify some issues with the case of Ibori who had undergone a trial, the charges of which were quashed by a competent court of law.

“Obong Attah before now has never been invited, summoned, queried, interrogated, investigated, cautioned or indicted by the EFCC or any other security agency in Nigeria for that matter.  “Consequently, the lie flies in the face to suggest most unfairly that Attah has been under EFCC investigation for two years and should have been promptly charged to court!

“EFCC has no power to charge an innocent Nigerian to court for the purpose of satisfying some vested interest or to boost its visibility. After careful and painstaking investigation for about two years, the same EFCC gave a clean bill of health to that company, de_freezing its account because ‘investigation into this matter is concluded and no case of money laundering established against the company”.