Hunt for Odili
EFCC swoops again:

…Picks Omehia's commissioner to Lagos
By Ogbonna Nwuke

As the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, intensifies its effort to bring Governor Peter Odili to book for his alleged fraudulent crimes, its operatives have invited a serving commissioner in the Omehia administration for a chat.
The Commissioner is expected to tell the commission what he knows about the alleged squandering of about $10 million belonging to the Rivers people spent on what investigators believe might well be a phantom and non-existent oil and gas project.
The Commissioner was picked up and flown to Lagos Wednesday as news of the arrest of the brother-in-law to the ex-governor, Barrister Okey Nzenwa made the rounds.
Nzenwa who is suspected to be the major tool used by the former governor to launder funds stolen from Rivers State is chairman of Clean Water, a company dubbed as a foreign concern which is at the head of a consortium that was expected to deliver on the construction of a state owned refinery and develop the state's oil bloc potentials.
Not much is known about the project, but it is well known that the management of the refinery initially came out with a tender asking for qualified firms that could partner with the Odili government to tap the oil and gas concessions at its disposal.
Thereafter, Clean Water emerged as the major player on the scene. Until recently, not many people knew that Okey Nzenwa was the chairman of the company.
From what is known, the refinery was expected to be built within the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, precisely at Ndoni which is the home town of the former governor.
Nzenwa was quizzed recently by EFCC officials before the serving commissioner in Omehia's government was invited to appear before investigators in Lagos.
Odili had influenced the allocation of an oil bloc to the State, which if developed, would be the source of great wealth for a state that depends for now on funds from the federation account and internally generated revenue.
The reason is that the downstream investment was expected to open up avenues for subsidiaries and other businesses which could aid the drive by Rivers people for employment and empowerment opportunities.
Odili could have cornered the bloc all to himself some say, but he chose to ensure that a state that is oil producing has a foretaste of the control of the resource that it is blessed with.
Those who hold this view say it is evidence of his good intentions for the State.
His critics who see no good in whatever he did within the period simply dismiss it as a ploy, saying it may have been a cover to siphon much needed funds from the treasury.
They ask why there is nothing to show for monies paid out by the government ostensibly to facilitate its oil and gas policy and programmes.
Was it proper, some inquisitive minds ask, for the Odili administration to do business with Clean Water in which his brother-in-law had a stake?
Who owns Clean Water? Could Okey Nzenwa be a mere front as some people who are highly placed are beginning to think?
Determining whether this is correct or not is the assignment that the EFCC is saddled with at the moment.
The Commissioner (name withheld) had been associated with the oil and gas operations of the Odili administration. And insiders say it is probably for this reason that the EFCC searchlight was beamed in his direction.
How much did the serving commissioner know of what was going on? Most of government's business in the last eight years took place at Government House and observers say, they were usually shrouded in secrecy.
Civil servants who spoke with this publication revealed that the service had very little to contribute, especially in the area of contract awards.
They say those who ought to have been connected with most of the paper work at the secretariat may not have known how the agreements were couched.
We cannot confirm if the commissioner is back after his interrogation by the anti-graft commission in Lagos.
But the matter is being kept as quiet as possible.
In the meantime we are making efforts to reach the commissioner in question to get his own side of the story as we do an update on the story for Monday.
On Monday, the Telegraph which is still piecing information together would publish the name of the commissioner who may eventually turn out to be a witness should Odili be found guilty of engaging in fraudulent acts, some of which may be part of petitions fired against the number one citizen of the State.