FACT-CHECK REPORT: Wike Didn’t Invite EFCC, ICPC to Probe Ex-FCT Minister Over N1bn Fraud, Others
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, did not ask either the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, or the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to probe his immediate predecessor, Mohammed Musa Bello, over alleged “monumental corrupt practices”.
This was the conclusion of a fact check done by PRNigeria in response to a viral post on Facebook and Whatsapp, which said that Wike is pushing for the investigation of Mr. Musa Bello for ‘corruptly enriching himself’ as FCT Minister, between 2015 and 2023. https://prnigeria.com/2023/09/09/fact-wike-bello-efcc/
The viral social media post claimed that Wike wrote to the two anti-graft agencies to invite his predecessor, who recently left office, over alleged monumental corrupt practices, including the award of a 1km road in Abuja, at a cost of N1 billion.
But while reading through the text making the rounds, PRNigeria observed both grammatical and punctuation errors in its composition.
Further keyword search results reveal that no reputable media platforms reported the matter.
The Fact-Check Desk then reached out to the FCT Minister’s office who confirmed they have seen the claim and have already issued a debunk.
PRNigeria was then sent a copy of the statement put out by the Minister’s office and signed by the Director of Press, Anthony Ogunleye, on behalf of the FCT Minister and it reads partly: “RE: FALSE ONLINE MEDIA REPORTS REGARDING ALLEGED INVITATION OF EFCC AND ICPC TO INVESTIGATE FORMER FCT MINISTER
“The Office of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister wishes to address recent online media reports that have surfaced, claiming that the FCT Minister, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike plans to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the immediate past FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, in relation to certain irregularities in the award of contracts and other such matters.
“We categorically and unequivocally state that these reports are entirely baseless and without any merit whatsoever. The FCT Minister, during his routine inspections of various projects within the FCT, has indeed expressed concerns and frustrations regarding irregularities observed in the procurement and execution of certain projects, amongst other observations which he very publicly expressed.
“However, at no point did he contemplate or authorize any action by anyone within or outside the FCT Administration to invite the EFCC or ICPC to investigate the former FCT Minister in connection with these or any other matters.
“The online story in question is nothing more than a product of the imagination of its authors and is clearly designed to mischievously sow discord and confusion among the general public.
“We view such misinformation with great concern and urge the public and well-meaning Nigerians to exercise caution and discernment when encountering such unfounded reports”.
To this end, findings by PRNigeria reveal that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike did not carry out or authorize any action to invite the EFCC or ICPC to investigate the former FCT Minister in connection with the award of any road contract as this has been debunked by the Minister’s office in addition to the fact that no reputable media reported such matter.
PRNigeria therefore concludes that the claim that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike wrote to Nigeria’s Anti Graft agencies to invite former FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammed Bello over alleged monumental corruption during his tenure is FALSE.
