The former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, may have gone underground, investigation by our correspondents has revealed.

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former Chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu


The decision, a source on Monday disclosed, was to safeguard his life and enable him pursue his legal action against the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission to a logical conclusion.

Ribadu is challenging the propriety of his demotion from the post of an Assistant Inspector-General of Police to that of Deputy Commissioner of Police at the Federal High Court in Abuja.


He had also filed another suit at the ECOWAS Court in Abuja to contest the directive of the Inspector -General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, that he should appear before a police disciplinary panel in Kaduna.

He was asked to appear before the panel sitting in Kaduna last week.

Ribadu had urged the ECOWAS Court to hold that the outcome of the panel’s sitting would infringe on his fundamental human rights.

He therefore did not appear before the panel which concluded its sitting on Thursday.

Anxiety had mounted over his whereabouts throughout the weekend, especially following a report by a Lagos-based evening newspaper that he might have fled the country.



But a source close to the former EFCC boss told one of our correspondents in Lagos on Monday that Ribadu was still in the country and was observing the sallah holidays underground in his home town, Yola, Adamawa State.


He added that his decision to stay out of the limelight might not be unconnected with the recent threat to his life by certain individuals whom he claimed shot at his car on his way to Abuja recently.


Our source said, ” I can confidently tell you that Ribadu is in the country and he is taking his time in view of the unfolding events.

“

He has not fled the country and he has no reason to do so, contrary to the rumour engineered by some ex-governors and a few serving governors that he had absconded. But don‘t forget that the threat to his life is real and that is why he has chosen to remain incommunicado to some of his friends and associates.

“

He has decided to go underground in order to save his life. Please note that it is only when he is alive that he can pursue his pending cases. Only the living can pursue matters in court and he is not prepared to take chances.

“

“For your information, certain people with sinister motives have been trailing him.

“And for him, being security conscious, he has alerted the country that his life is no longer safe. That is a serious issue that calls for concern.

“

“We are confident that the courts will make a fair pronouncement on his cases and we believe in the ability of the judiciary to do what is right in this situation.”


When asked why calls made to Ribadu‘s phones were not going through, he replied that the measure was meant to protect his privacy and his present location.


He added that he would not disclose the exact location where Ribadu would be spending his sallah break for security reasons.

Meanwhile, a former Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, has faulted the constitution of a panel by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, to try Ribadu for an alleged “gross misconduct.”


In the same vein, he said if he were Ribadu, he would have since resigned from the police instead of remaining in the force to face further humiliation.

Tsav made his position known in a text message sent to one of our correspondents in Abuja on Monday.

The message reads in part, “By law, the Inspector-General of Police has no power to set up a board to try an officer of the rank of an Assistant Superintendent of Police and above.

“Such power is only vested in the PSC. The IG, however, has power to order investigation of any grade of officer before forwarding his findings and recommendations to the PSC for appropriate disciplinary action.

“The panel set up to investigate the officer has the power to summon the officer and the officer is bound to attend.”


According to him, Ribadu was only compounding his problems by choosing to remain in the force to fight on.


He said, “Ribadu may be retired or dismissed in the long run for conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline. I cannot see him winning. He is being misled by people who have gained, and are gaining from him.”


Going down the memory lane, the former police chief said, “The late E. Ugowe, a mature and experienced Police officer, fought the police, but in a civilised manner.

“He had to throw in the towel in the end when he realised that he was subject to Force discipline. If I were him (Ribadu), I would resign rather than hang on and cry over spilled milk.”