Director-General of the National Taskforce to Combat Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Ammunition, and Light Weapons, NATFORCE, Mr. Emmanuel Osita Okereke has slammed a contempt charge on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde for allegedly disobeying a standing court order.
Spokesperson of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren is also joined in the contempt suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
This is even as the NATFORCE has faulted the commission for declaring Okeke wanted.
The anti-graft commission had last week declared Okereke wanted for allegedly jumping bail.
However, in a statement issued by the press secretary to the NATFORCE DG, Chuks Ezenwome, he described the EFCC’s action as not only unwarranted, cheap blackmail but also malicious.
He stated that as a law abiding citizen and respecter of principles of the rule of law, Dr Okereke never jumped bail but was always in his office at Citi Plaza, Area II, Garki Abuja.
According to him, “The publication by EFCC declaring Our NATFORCE DG wanted in the pages of newspapers is not only targeted at the person of Dr. Osita Okereke (OON) and NATFORCE as an organization, but is a disobedience to the order of an Abuja federal high court in suit No. FSHC/ABJ/CS/391/2015 dated 29 day of June, 2015 which directed ‘that status quo must be maintained until the hearing and determination of the substantive suit. This order precludes the EFCC from harassing or intimidating Dr Okereke so as not to impede the operation of NATFORCE’.
Ezenwome said while the DG was not in court as a result of illness, his counsel tendered a medical report and the court “did not make any order as to bench warrant against Dr. Okereke or for the surety to show cause.”
He explained that National Taskforce was not an illegal body as it was inaugurated by Federal Ministry of Finance on 10th of July, 2010 and that the organization was assiduously pursuing its mandate. Ezenwome, however, enjoined Nigerians to continue to transact business with Dr Okereke in all spheres as a person and as DG NATFORCE as an organization in its bid towards achieving its mandate of combating illegal importation small arms, ammunitions, light weapons and pipeline vandalism.
The anti-graft agency is prosecuting Okereke for alleged forgery, obtaining under force pretence in a six count charge before Justice J. Y. Tukur of the FCT High Court, Apo, Abuja.
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