Obono-Obla: ICPC declares former SPIP boss wanted

Former chairman of the Special Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Okoi Obono-Obla, has been declared wanted.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), declared Obono-Obla wanted after he repeatedly failed to appear before the commission to answer questions bordering on allegations of fraud and corruption.

“Consequently, ICPC had extended several invitations to him, which he had failed to honour without giving any reason,” the Commission stated. “Attempts to track and make him appear before the Commission also failed leading ICPC to contact other law enforcement agencies for assistance concerning his whereabouts."

In a statement made available to the public, the Commission stated that it is in receipt of petitions accusing Obono-Obla of abuse of office, falsification of admission records, living above his income and collection of gratification from suspects under his investigation.

The suspended chairman, according to the ICPC, is also facing allegations of working outside the guidelines governing the panel by investigating unauthorised petitions and prosecuting suspects without recourse to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

The ICPC statement read, “ICPC had conducted series of investigations on the allegations with preliminary findings showing that some provisions of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and extant laws of Nigeria had been allegedly violated by MObono-Obla."

The president had in August, 2019, suspended Obono-Obla from being the chairman of SPIP, an agency saddled with the responsibility , with an order that the suspension would be effective till the conclusion of the ICPC investigation.

Other allegations against Obono-Obla

The suspended senior special assistant to the president, is alleged to be in possession of an “invalid” Ordinary Level result, according to findings by a House of Representatives ad hoc panel.

The House panel had tendered that in the course of its primary assignment, it discovered that Obono-Obla may well have forged his way into the University of Jos.

Pulse understands that Obono-Obla studied at the University of Jos and subsequently proceeded to the Nigerian Law School.

In his defense, Obono-Obla, however, says some persons are after him for daring to investigate and expose assets hidden abroad by some powerful people in the National Assembly.