The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has indicated its readiness to reopen case on the alleged fraud involving the former Rivers State governor, Dr. Peter Odili.
This is coming after sixteen years the former governor left office.
The anti-graft agency alleged that Odili had questions to answer over alleged N100 billion fraud involving him.
The probe into Odili’s alleged fraud started towards the end of his tenure in office, but the EFCC being led by the current National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu during the time could not do much on the matter due to immunity enjoyed by the former governor.
Since leaving the office in 2007, Mr Odili has been placed on the watch list of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged economic issues.
In 2008, Odili approached a Federal High Court and was granted a perpetual injunction stopping the EFCC, its chairman and other operatives from investigating the financial books of the Rivers State government, including himself or any official of the state on the subject matter.
WesternLifeNewsNG couldn’t however establish what prompted the sudden decision to reopen the book on Mr Odili.
The former governor is believed to be a good friend of President Bola Tinubu. He was recently invited to Aso Villa, along others, during the intervention of the president on the crisis between Rivers state governor, Sim Fubara and his earstwhile god father, Nyesom Wike. He is also enjoying good relationship with Wike and Fubara.
In June 20, 2021, the former governor’s passport was seized at the Nnamdi Azikwe International airport in Abuja by the Nigeria Immigration Service, after returning from an overseas trip. It was later returned to him after a court ruled in his favour.
Odili, who was the deputy governor between 1992 and 1993 and two term substantive governor of Rivers State between 1999 and 2007, is the husband of the retired Justice Mary Odili of the Nigeria’s Supreme Court.
