The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Sunday dissociated itself from a report purporting that it had released a full list of ex-governors being investigated for allegedly misappropriating public funds to the tune of N2.187 trillion over the last 25 years.
Reports emerged in both conventional and social media weekend morning claiming that the EFCC had released a list identifying 58 former governors under investigation.
One such report seen by The Nigerian Observer was titled “EFCC reportedly releases full list of 58 ex-governors that embezzled n2.187 trillion”.
But the EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Sunday described the reports as entirely baseless.
Oyewale emphasised that the purported list was “a disingenuous fabrication designed to achieve motives known only to the authors”.
“The so-called list is false and misleading,” Oyewale said. “The EFCC has not issued such a list nor entertained discussions on investigations of ex-governors with any media outlet.”
The anti-graft agency also called on media practitioners to verify facts with the Commission directly to avoid spreading misinformation.
It, however, confirmed ongoing investigations of some former governors over allegations of corruption and misappropriation of public funds, including the former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, who is facing 19-count charges including charges of money laundering and breach of trust involving N80.2 billion.
