£2.5Billion Scam: We Won’t Allow Anyone to Defraud Nigeria – EFCC

£2.5Billion Scam: We Won’t Allow Anyone to Defraud Nigeria – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has raised the alarm over attempts by certain group of lawyers and their sponsors to short-change Nigeria, as the Commission will not allow anyone to defraud the country over a controversial claim of £2.5billion.

The Commission strongly condemns a calculated attempt by a group of 27 lawyers to blackmail one of its lead prosecutors, Mr. Rotimi Jacob, SAN, on the contentious £ 2.5billion, insisting that Jacobs is a reputable lawyer who has successfully prosecuted several high-profile cases for the EFCC.

The 27 lawyers had, in a petition addressed to the National Executive of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, alleged that Jacobs was using the EFCC to arrest, harass and intimidate them for winning a monetary suit against the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and Union Bank of Nigeria plc. Speaking through one Mr. Onyechi Egwuonwu, the 27 lawyers further alleged that the Union Bank induced the EFCC and Jacobs to file criminal charges against their client, Petro Union Oil, in order to frustrate the execution of the judgment. But debunking the claim of the lawyers on Tuesday, the EFCC dismissed the claim, describing it as false and misleading.