From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Kogi state Commissioner for Information and Communications in the state, Kingsley Fanwo, said no Forfeiture of 14 properties linked to Kogi State Government as claimed by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a statement made available to Journalists in Lokoja, the commissioner said the “forfeiture joke is clearly a desperate concoction of confused, unintelligent officials of the organisation.”
He said the fact that the EFCC could send out a press statement, titled, “Court Orders Interim Forfeiture of 14 properties linked to Kogi State Government”, showed clearly that uninformed minds had been picked to oversee the affairs of an agency as important as the EFCC.
According to him, for the avoidance of doubt, the Kogi State Government has no property that can be forfeited to the Federal Government under any guise, it is a campaign of calumny taken too far.
Fanwo noted that it was clear that the EFCC had declared a tactless open war against the Kogi State Government, owing mainly to the Governor’s unflinching loyalty to the All Progressives Congress and not individuals, stressing that the Governor was not one that could be cowed once he believes in a cause.
“This is a forfeiture proceeding and the order is an order of interim forfeiture, which gives persons who allegedly own the properties rights to come to court to establish their ownership of the said properties.”
“For now, it is clear the EFCC has declared a tactless open war against the Kogi State Government, owing mainly to the Governor’s unflinching loyalty to the All Progressives Congress and not individuals. We will prove our innocence in court.”
