Ismaila Mustapha, also known as Mompha, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to substantiate its money laundering charges against him, News About Nigeria reports.
In an Instagram post, Mompha criticised the EFCC for responding to his previous allegations of corruption, describing the commission as ‘useless’ and accusing it of wasting taxpayers’ money on social media banter.
Mompha, who is currently on trial for conspiracy and other criminal activities, stated, “My attention has once again been drawn to the social media tantrum of the EFCC demanding that I prove corruption allegations against them. The fact that the commission, particularly their chairman, could stoop so low to respond to my post shows clearly how useless and jobless the EFCC is.”
He accused the EFCC of staging armed men on the streets of Lagos and Abuja to prevent citizens from protesting against the commission’s alleged corruption.
Mompha also alleged that the EFCC had engaged in violent and illegal night raids, citing incidents in Ondo State and Lagos.
Regarding his own case, Mompha questioned the EFCC’s evidence against him.
“The EFCC claimed they have ‘overwhelming evidence of my involvement in money laundering’, however the question is; who is this faceless person I laundered money for? Does the person not have a name? Did you mention the name of the person in the trumped-up charges before the court?” he wrote.
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Recall that the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, had issued a statement through the commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, in response to Mompha’s accusation, challenging him to provide evidence to support his allegations of corruption within the EFCC.
Olukoyede stressed the importance of the commission’s integrity and stated that the EFCC would not be deterred from prosecuting Mompha’s case to its conclusion.
Olukoyede’s statement read, “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. 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 are an issue the Commission is taking seriously.”
The EFCC Chairman further directed that Mompha be invited to present evidence of any corruption involving EFCC staff and to justify his labelling of the EFCC as a “useless agency.”
“The EFCC would not sit back and allow libellous effusions against its reputation to 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 the antics of traducers like Mompha,” the statement concluded.
