Mr. Peter Ezenwa Ekpendu, a former Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), is being grilled by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja.
According to reports, Mr Ekpendu is being questioned over allegations of involvement in a case of procurement fraud and diversion of public funds.
The former Prisons boss was said to have arrived at the headquarters of the Commission at about 10 am Wednesday, after he willingly responded to an invitation by the anti-graft agency.
At the moment, details of the case against Mr. Ekpendu are skill sketchy, however, sources have told Premium Times that four companies belonging to him were allegedly fingered in suspicious payments over contracts executed for the Correctional Service.
It is unclear when the contracts were executed and payments made.
It is worthy to note that Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Act forbids the country’s public office holders from running private businesses while in office, and officers found doing otherwise are bound to face the full wrath of the law.
The spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that Mr Ekpendu was invited and was being interrogated by operatives. He, however, did not give details of the allegations against the retired official.
Mr Ekpendu was appointed as comptroller-general of the correctional service on December 5, 2014, by former President, Goodluck Jonathan.
He retired from service and stepped down from the position on May 17, 2016, a year after President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office.
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