Buhari dissolves Obono-Obla panel, awaits ICPC’s report

Directs AGF Malami to take-over all outstanding investigations, activities of SPIP

President Muhammadu Buhari has dissolved the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP) led by Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, confirmed this development in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said that the President looks forward to receiving the final Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) report on the ongoing investigations of the dissolved panel’s chairman.

Buhari had on August 14, suspended Okoi Obono-Obla, over allegations of “falsification of records and financial impropriety.”

Obono-Obla’s suspension letter, signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, directed him to step down and then proceed to answer questions from the ICPC.

He is facing probe over allegations of certificate forgery and other corruption-related charges.

Adesina said the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has been directed to immediately take -over all outstanding investigations and other activities of the SPIP.

“While thanking all members of the dissolved panel for their services, the President looks forward to receiving the final ICPC report on the ongoing investigations of the dissolved panel’s chairman,” he said.

The panel was established in August 2017 by the then acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to investigate specifically mandated cases of corruption, abuse of office and similar offences by public officers.

Recall that trouble began for Mr. Obono-Obla and his panel in early August when a detachment of police officers from Force Headquarters descended on his agency’s Asokoro office and sealed off the building just after the office closed for the day. It was a preemptive move to block the official from removing evidence, one source familiar with the matter said.

Obono-Obla’s anti-corruption job was steeped in controversies which overshadowed some of the successes recorded by his office.

An ad hoc panel set up by the House of Representatives, December last year had asked President Buhari to sack Obono-Obla over allegation that he forged his high school certificate. The panel also accused the official of corruption.

But Obono-Obla had said at the time that the forgery and corruption allegations against him were merely a witch-hunt by people who were uncomfortable with his anti-corruption fight.

In August, the ICPC submitted an interim report to the presidency confirming that the official indeed forged his high school certificate.