By Chinedu Adonu

ENUGU-ECONOMIC and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, South East zonal Head of operation, Mr Johnson Babalola, has disclosed that former Governor of Enugu State, Bar,. Sullivan Chime’s case is still under investigation.

Chime

Johnson who disclosed this to pressmen yesterday at press center Independent Layout, Enugu said that Chime is still not far from being hooked up in N450million campaign fund allegedly disbursed by Deziani Madueke for 2015 election.

Babalola explained that Rita Mba who was also fingered along with Chime and some others, is also under investigation even when she seemed to have accused EFCC of compromising with Chime in the fraud saga.

The EFCC boss pointed out that criminal cases of that nature can linger for a long time for thorough investigation to take place.

“Chime is still under investigation. Criminal cases don’t have expiring date. The case is still not closed. Rita has the right to allege that we have compromised. I want to tell you that she too is still under investigation and I don’t want to say more than that about the case.

“We are making progress in the case,even as Rita Mba petitioned EFCC for compromising Chime’s issue and they are not far from being hooked by N450million Deziani Madueke campaign fund”, Babalola declared.

Babalola who said that the briefing is meant to thank the media for the yeoman’s job they are doing in educating the masses about the happenings in the society and EFCC activities lamented that crimes and criminality persist in the society because the society seems to celebrate criminality explaining that when communities know that somebody is a thief, they give such one chieftaincy title.

He also lamented that EFCC is hamstrung financially in carrying out their onerous task as a corruption fighting agency because the very people they seem to be fighting are holding the purse, thereby making it difficult for them to execute their jobs.

“We are handicapped financially for the work because the people we are fighting are still the same people that will approve our funds,” Babalola laments.

He said however that in spite of challenges, the country would not be allowed to rot even when the powers that be seemed to be fighting their boss, Ibrahim Magu, who he said is clean in the fight against corruption.

“The main thing in Nigeria is corruption and insecurity. The powers that be are against my oga. He has nothing in his cupboard and they cannot stop him from carrying out investigation,” he alleges.

He explained that EFCC does not indict people but investigate a matter before prosecuting it in court, pointing out that they are always thorough before they say something.