Forty eight hours after a security breach was
recorded at the Zone 7, Abuja, office of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), indications have emerged that some
high-profile suspects may have masterminded the dawn attack. It will be
recalled that some gunmen had, about 5:00am on Wednesday, attacked the
30A, Harper Street, Zone 7, office of the anti-graft agency.
The
target of the assailants, according to the EFCC, was one of its top
investigators, Mr. Ishaku Sharu, who is the Head of Foreign Exchange
Malpractices Fraud Section. Interestingly, Wednesday’s dawn attack came a
few weeks after one of the commission’s top investigators, Austin
Okwor, escaped death by the whiskers, after a vicious attack in
Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, left him severely wounded.
The
attackers, who were repelled by security operatives guarding the
building, according to a statement by the commission’s spokesman, Mr.
Wilson Uwujaren, had dropped a letter containing threat to kill Sharu.
As the anti-graft agency begins investigation into the incident,
Saturday Telegraph’s investigation has revealed that some high-profile
suspects, who are either facing trial, or being investigated on alleged
corruption and money laundering cases, may be behind the Wednesday’s
attack.
A competent security source, who spoke
in confidence with Saturday Telegraph, said Sharu’s “sin” is his refusal
to compromise his job. The source further claimed, that the
“overwhelming” evidence the top investigator may have gathered around
politically- exposed persons (PEPs) undergoing investigation, may have
unsettled the affected suspects, whose identity had yet to be
ascertained due to ongoing probe. However, it was gathered that the
anti-graft agency is narrowing down on some recent cases being
investigated by Sharu.
“In this kind of
situation, you can’t rule out anything. While we are taking a second
look at all the high-profile cases that he had handled in the past; we
are also paying special focus on recent ones,” the source said. Apart
from PEPs, Sharu also coordinates the investigation of senior retired
military officers.
The source said: “Obviously,
Ishaku Sharu was their target, because of the sensitive unit he heads,
which oversees investigation of some politically exposed individuals
under investigation/trial, who have (allegedly) looted public treasury.
“Don’t
also forget that he is in charge of investigation of some senior
retired military officers, who have questions to answer on the (alleged)
procurement fraud in the military. “We are also aware some senior
military officers are not happy with the outcome of some investigations
he carried out which indicted some retired senior military officers. You
know that in military circles, there is esprit de corps. So, the
feeling is that some serving senior officers are afraid that a fate
similar to the one that befell their retired colleagues may await them.
“They
are aware that Sharu cannot be compromised and so the only option is
for him to be intimidated. Although he has those working with him, it
was deliberate that the death threat note was addressed to him.” Asked
if Sharu had received threat messages in the past, the source said:
“That is not necessary now.”
Another source,
who spoke in similar vein, said a directive had since been issued, for a
watertight security around the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim
Magu, as well as top investigators at the commission’s headquarters in
Abuja, and zonal offices. It was further gathered that the police high
command, might deploy more men to boost existing security arrangements
at EFCC.
“I can assure you that security around
Acting Chairman and top investigating officers, had been heightened. “I
heard that the police high command has also given directive for
additional armed personnel to be drafted within and around the
commission’s headquarters and other locations, to forestall any
eventuality,” he said.
This was as
Saturday Telegraph learnt that the threat to life letter packaged in a
white envelope, was being subjected to “forensic examination” by
experts. Meanwhile, a visit to the zone 7 office that was attacked,
showed that armed Mobile policemen, as well as operatives from the
anti-bomb unit of the force, were still present, as visitors entering
the building were thoroughly searched.
Part of
the EFCC’s statement on the dawn attack, had read: “A major security
breach was recorded at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, in the early hours of Wednesday, August 16,
2017, as unknown gunmen attacked the office located at Wuse Zone 7,
Abuja.
“The group of heavily armed bandits
invaded the office about 05.00 hours and began shooting into the
premises, damaging vehicles parked on the premises in the process.
However, the attack was repelled by guards on duty.
“The
hoodlums escaped in a getaway vehicle but not without leaving a
message; a white envelope dropped by the fleeing attackers was found to
contain a death threat addressed to Ishaku Sharu, a senior investigator
with the Commission…”
In a telephone
conversation with Saturday Telegraph yesterday, the commission’s
spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, neither confirmed nor denied security
beef-up around Magu and others. He said: “There is nothing like
improving or not improving on security; we have always been conscious of
security.”
