Buhari sacks Okoi Obono-Obla

Chairman of the Special Investigation Panel for the recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, has been sacked, it was gathered.

Multiple presidency sources said President Muhammadu Buhari sacked the head of the panel via a letter issued yesterday.

The letter has been delivered to the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Justice, Obla’s supervising ministry.

“With the information at our disposal, he will face prosecution on alleged financial dealings. With regard to his academic credentials, he said Obla will be prosecuted, accordingly.

“Government may ask the University of Jos to withdraw his law degree and the Nigerian Law School to debar him from practice.

“This is owing to the conclusion of the ICPC investigation, the recommendations of which were approved in full by President Buhari,”he said.

Another source said the presidency has also received an indicting report on the panel chairman bordering on forgery and misconduct.

“The main grouse against the Panel Chairman was that while the Panel was supposed to investigate only cases referred to it by the government, according to the law establishing the panel, the Chairman has single-handedly taken on cases outside of its mandate and in gross violation of Rule of Law, including violations of people’s fundamenetal human rights.

“Inspire of the specificity of the mandate of the Panel, the FG has been inundated with complaints against Mr. Obla. These include complaints of violation of the specific mandate of the Panel, human rights abuses and conduct unbecoming of an official of Government, which conduct and actions had a number of times subjected the Panel and the Government to ridicule,”he said.

Contacted, a presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu referred our correspondent to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha who was unavailable as at the time of filing this report.