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The House of Representatives on Tuesday, read Riot Act to the Special Presidential Investigative Panel on recovery of public asset to desist from media trial in the cause of carrying out its activities.
The lawmakers who stated this during the ongoing investigative public hearing into the legality of the SPIP, decried the level of impunity and discord between the chairman and members of the panel.
Aliyu Hamman-Pategi, who presided over the Ad-hoc Committee alleged that the panel apart from acting beyond its mandate to probe two entities referred to it by the Presidency, observed that the panel sent out asset declaration forms to public office holders to declare their assets, including the Auditor-General of the Federation and his directors.
Hamman-Pategi further accused Obono-Obla, chairman of the Panel of unilaterally employing a consultant to recover looted funds stashed overseas through corruption by Nigerians and the employment of over 100 staff without consultation with members of the panel.
“From testimonies we’ve heard and based on petitions with the ad hoc committee, it’s obvious that the panel is acting with impunity.
“We all support this administration’s fight against corruption but the war against corruption must be fought within the ambit of the law,” he said.
The lawmaker expressed displeasure over the failure of SPIP chairman from honouring the Committee’s invitation to testify about the panel’s activities and modus operandi, threatened to subpoena Obono-Obla’s appearance if he fails to honour the committee’s summons for the third time.
In his presentation, Akingbolahan Adeniran, SPIP Secretary who admitted that the panel was mandated to investigate only entities referred to it by President Muhammadu Buhari, however denied knowledge of the panel’s probe of the auditor-general of the federation, his management staff and other individuals not referred to it for investigation by the President.
On his part, Obinna Ogwuegbu, Director of Investigations, however deferred with the SPIP’s scribe position that the panel was conducting an internal investigation into the activities of its chairman over alleged infractions.
He however confirmed that the SPIP chairman unilaterally requested for the deployment of staff from sister agencies without prior consultation with other panel members.
In the same vein, Salihu Abubakar, a member of the Panel affirmed that the decision to employ the consultant was unilaterally done by the chairman, adding that the over-bloated staff strength of the panel had to be pruned down to 31 after the organogram of the panel had been drawn up.
He confirmed that “any unilateral action outside the mandate of the panel would amount to a breach.”
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
