A Director with the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, Ayo Olowonihi, has been appointed as the Commandant of the EFCC
Academy, the EFCC has said.
Olowonihi, who was on Grade Level 17 was suspended by the
then acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, in 2015 and then demoted to
Grade 16 by Magu in 2017.
The aggrieved director subsequently instituted a case
against the EFCC before the National Industrial Court.
According to court documents, Olowonihi said Magu had on
November 19, 2015, summoned him to his office accusing him of being behind some
damning online publications on the activities of the commission and against the
person of the chairman.
He said on Magu’s directive, he was interrogated, his
official computer taken away, while he two phones (MTN and GLO) were seized,
adding that his office, after being thoroughly searched by a team of detectives
and policemen, was sealed.
The plaintiff further stated that while interrogation was
still on, Magu demoted him as commandant and redeployed him.
Olowonihi said while the letter was purported to have been
issued by the management of the commission, he was not aware of any management
meeting where such a decision was taken being a management staff.
The EFCC director won his case in court on February 26, 2019
but the EFCC under the leadership of Magu, filed an appeal.
The Court of Appeal in August 2020 affirmed the ruling of
the lower court but by then, Magu had been suspended indefinitely by the
President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)
On Monday, the EFCC said in a statement by its Spokesman,
Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, that Olowonihi had been appointed as the head of the EFCC
Academy.
A statement titled, ‘Olowonihi Takes Over at EFCC Academy’,
read in part, “The acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mohammed Abba, has appointed
Detective Commander Ayo Olowonihi as Commandant, EFCC Academy, Karu, Abuja.
“Olowonihi takes over from Itam Obono, a Deputy Commissioner
of Police
“The appointment which is with immediate effect was
consummated with a hand-over ceremony today, Monday, January 18, 2021, attended
by both Olowonihi and Obono with heads of departments and units of the Academy
in attendance.”
Obono charged Staff to give Olowonihi the best cooperation,
stating, “I’ll ask that, Ayo who is coming is not new, he has been here before
and the work will take speed. Give him the best cooperation. The little hurdles
that are there, you may be able to surmount faster than we have done.”
In his response, Olowonihi appreciated Obono and wished him
well at his new assignment. He pledged to take the Academy, which is the brain
of the organisation, to where it should be.
It was learnt that the new EFCC leadership had
reversed several of Magu’s appointments while those close to the sacked EFCC
boss have remained on suspension for the last six months pending the decision
of the President to act on the report of the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel.
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