The Kogi state government has dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to court for “unsubstantiated allegations” on the N20bn bailout funds.
The state government have been at loggerheads with the commission following allegations that the state runs an account containing bailout loans and that there were suspicious fraudulent activities related to the account.
In August, a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos froze a Kogi state salary bailout account domiciled in Sterling Bank Plc following an ex-parte application brought by the EFCC.
In its response, the state had asked the EFCC to apologise to Yahaya Bello, the governor, within 48 hours or face legal actions.
However, in a statement, on Sunday, the Kogi government said it has sued the commission at the state High Court, demanding the sum of N35 billion as damages.
“The Kogi State Government, Accountant-General of the State, Momoh Jibrin; and Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Asiwaju Mukadam Asiru, were claimants in the suit, while the EFCC, Sterling Bank and Central Bank of Nigeria were listed as defendants,” the statement revealed.
“The Government is demanding the sum of N35billion only as damages against the 1st defendant for the defamatory publication, titled, ‘Hidden N19.3bn Kogi salary bailout funds returned to CBN’ made on November 19, 2021 on her Facebook page containing amongst others, false and unfounded allegations of N19.3 billion being returned from Kogi State bailout account, which portrays fraud and misappropriation of public fund against the claimant.”
The state said it also asked the court to declare the publication by EFCC as “misconceived, wrongful, illegal, null and void”.
The motion on notice will be heard on December 17.
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