Edo: Jonathan Okunbor is a suspect in connection with N6 billion fraud, not an election witness – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC said, Mr Jonathan Okunbor is a suspect in connection with alleged misappropriation of N6 billion and he is being investigated and not as a witness in the Edo State governorship election tribunal as claimed by the PDP Governorship election candidate, Asue Ighodalo.

The clarification was given in a statement by EFCC’s head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale noted that his investigation has no connection at all.

The statement reads: “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to a trending video insinuating that Mr. Jonathan Okunbor, a suspect being investigated for an alleged N6 billion fraud, was an election witness.

“The Commission wishes to state without any equivocation that Okunbor is not a witness of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the election tribunal as claimed by Mr. Asue Ighodalo. Rather, he is a prime suspect connected to a case of misappropriation of funds involving all the 18 local government areas of Edo State.

“Ongoing investigations showed that about N6billion was diverted to Kezmith Global Ventures owned by Ogunbor. The suspect was running the ventures using the name and identity of Mr. Godfrey Emode.

“The Commission’s investigators, in their quest to unearth the shadiness of Ogunbor, arrested Emode who led them to the suspect in Eterno Hotel where a pre-trial meeting was being held.

Investigators interrogated the counsel to Ighodalo on the status of Ogunbor in the election tribunal matters and he clearly stated that he was not a witness in the matter.

“In spite of this, Mr. Ighodalo and his co-travellers at Eterno Hotel prevented EFCC officers from carrying out their constitutional duty and obstructed them from arresting Ogunbor. Specifically, Ighodalo insisted that Ogunbor was his witness when it was obvious that he only wanted to aid his escape from the Commission’s investigators.

“The EFCC remains committed to its adherence to the rule of law and the Commission has no business with any Edo State election witness that has no corruption charge before it. The EFCC will not hesitate to bring anyone to trial, witness or no witness, if it has a basis for doing so.

“The public is assured that Ogunbor will be brought to book soon in connection with the alleged N6billion fraud involving his firm, Kezmith Global Ventures.”