By DAVIES IHEAMNACHOR

PORT HARCOURT—WIDOW of late Senator James Sekibo of Rivers State, Mrs. Kari Sekibo, has raised the alarm that relatives of her departed husband were supposedly using officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to torment her. The embattled widow has cried out to the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, a nongovernmental organization, alleging a clandestine plot to dispossess her of belongings, lamenting why the commission should be turned into a tool in the hands of her husband’s relatives.

Mrs. Kari Sekibo.

Mrs. Sekibo said the EFCC at the outset walked an honourable path even some of her stepchildren wanted to cause trouble, but one of her husband’s lawyers, who had vowed to make life wretched for her, compromised some family members, now using the commission to undo her. “I was enjoying my marriage with my husband until death came and took my husband away from me. Since when my husband died, I have not had peace. I have been moving from one problem to another.

They want to make quick money

“One of my husband’s lawyers and his (my husband’s) relatives have vowed to make life unbearable for me. I do not know what I have done to them. When my husband died, some family members thought they could use that to make money, some cousins started tormenting me,” she said. Expatiating on her experience she said: “From that moment I was tortured and tormented, they started writing series of letters to different places.

“My husband’s sister and some of her brothers that are giving me trouble broke into my husband’s office and moved all my husband’s property and documents, about 17 documents and took them to one of my husband’s lawyers, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigerian, SAN. Mrs. Sekibo further asserted: “The lawyer pretended he wants to make peace but in the process, he removed one of my husband’s companies and gave it to one of my husband’s cousins.

“My step son went to EFCC and they arrested me and my husband’s first son. When the SAN took the company, I went to meet the EFCC but they said I should leave them for peace to reign. “The SAN came up with letter of administration. He wrote all my husband’s siblings before my name and none of my children was included.

Caveat Emptor

She further lamented: “My children having heard that they want to sell off their father’s house placed a Caveat Emptor on the document. That is the worst sin I committed. Because of this, they are using the EFCC to strangulate me to sign the document that would permit them to sell off my husband’s house. “I don’t know if EFCC is taking side. They should hands off this matter because it is purely a family matter.” EFCC has not issued any formal statement, but a source close to the commission, said it had declared Mrs. Sekibo wanted, following a court order.

There‘s a bench warrant against her – Source

The source said she (Kari) and some of her stepchildren were on the wanted list of the EFCC, adding that a court issued a bench warrant, about two weeks ago, for her to appear in court but she (Kari) has refused to adhere.

Our informant said that a biological son of the late Senator reported the case of conspiracy and forgery of a Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC document to the EFCC. He said the commission was only interested in the case of forgery and conspiracy, which it took to the court on a nine-count charge against the woman, but she refused to appear in court. According to the source, the court had tasked EFCC to provide her for an appearance in court March 9 to answer the charges against her.