The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to the malicious and unsubstantiated statement made by the embattled Ismaila Mustapha, (a.k.a Mompha) alleging corruption by operatives of the Commission.

This was revealed a post on the verified official handle of the anti-graft agency under the signature of its Head, Media & Publicity, Dele Oyewale.

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Oyewale maintained that the claim, coming from an accused in a criminal trial for conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activity, retention of proceeds of criminal activities, failure to disclose assets and property, ought to be ignored as the rantings of a sinking defendant. But his claims strike at the heart of the Commission’s most prized value – integrity and must be challenged.

The Commission is alarmed that the accused will abandon the platform offered by the court to launch a media war against it through spurious claims.

Oyewale cautioned that if he believes that raising phantom accusations against the Commission will scare it from diligently prosecuting his case, he is mistaken as no amount of scaremongering will deter the Commission from pursuing the case to logical conclusion

While Mompha may just be a drowning man clutching at any straw owing to the overwhelming evidence of his involvement in the money laundering case, his unsubstantiated claims against the EFCC is an issue the Commission is taking seriously.

To this end, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede has directed that Mompha be invited to bring clasping evidence of any issue of corruption against any staff of the Commission. Besides, the socialite should also justify his labelling of the EFCC as a “useless agency” with evidential proofs.

He also averred that, “As a responsible law enforcement agency, the EFCC would not sit back and allow libellous effusions against its reputation go unchallenged. Mompha, to all intents and purposes, cannot be expected to paint the EFCC in bright colours owing to the professional ways officers of the Commission are handling his matter. The EFCC would not be distracted in plying its job by antics of traducers like Mompha.”

Oyewale added that “The general public is, therefore, advised to ignore his ranting. Mompha should rather face his prosecution before a court of competent jurisdiction.”

In a shocking incident on Saturday night, bandits stormed the Dahjonu community in Millennium City, Chikun Local Government Area, abducting two journalists and their families.

The victims include Abdulgafar Alabelewe of The Nation newspaper and AbdulRaheem Aodu of Blueprint newspaper.

Alabelewe, who also serves as the chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Kaduna State, was taken along with his wife and two children.

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Aodu and his ailing wife were also kidnapped, while their sick daughter was left behind.

The attack occurred around 10:30 PM, according to Taofeeq Olayemi, a relative of one of the victims.

The bandits reportedly fired shots indiscriminately before carrying out the abductions.

He said, “Initially, they picked Abdulgafar, his wife, and three of his children and a girl staying with them before asking the girl to return with one of the children and left with Abdulgafar, his wife, and two children.

“They shattered their doors and windows and removed their burglary after scaling the fence.”

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 50-year-old man for allegedly torturing his five-year-old son in the Gwalangan Mayaka suburb of Bauchi metropolis.

According to CSP Ahmed Wakil, the command’s spokesperson, a good Samaritan reported the incident to the Police after finding the boy unconscious and shackled.

A team of detectives led by CSP Mubarak S. Baba rescued the boy, who identified himself as Hussaini Abubakar and revealed that his father had treated him inhumanely and confined him without food for three days.

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The father was arrested for alleged child abuse and claimed he was trying to prevent the boy from stealing from their neighbour.