Olu Agunloye, the ex-Minister of State for Power, has been in Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) custody since December 13, following the anti-graft agency’s declaration of him as wanted.
Channels Television, quoting an anonymous source from the EFCC, reported that the agency confirmed Agunloye’s detainment, shedding light on his capture since December 13, although the information was not publicly disclosed at the time.
The EFCC had recently proclaimed Agunloye wanted regarding an alleged $6 billion scam linked to the contentious Mambilla hydropower project. The agency urged anyone with useful information on his whereabouts to come forward.
Agunloye, who served as a minister under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, has been embroiled in a controversy regarding the Mambilla project. Former President Obasanjo accused Agunloye of unlawfully awarding the project’s contract without the Federal Executive Council’s consent. Nevertheless, Agunloye refuted the allegations, asserting that the outgoing president was falsifying information.
However, the recent declaration of Agunloye’s status as wanted stirred reactions, including Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, who called for the arrest of individuals directly or indirectly implicated in the Mambilla power project scam.
Soyinka expressed dismay over the EFCC’s action, emphasizing that Agunloye had been publicly visible at an event on December 8, attended by the press, questioning the abrupt change in the situation, leading to his subsequent arrest and detention.
Soyinka denounced the “murky exercise of power,” demanding an impartial inquiry into the Mambilla Project and the unresolved murder case of Bola Ige, a former Minister of Power. He advocated for a non-partisan commission to conduct a transparent investigation, uncover the truth, and hold accountable those involved in the alleged corruption surrounding the Mambilla project.
Soyinka concluded by urging the EFCC to release all detainees involved in the case or arrest and detain all culpable individuals linked to the massive alleged scam.
