Former Chair of Nigerian EFCC says his “life is in serious danger”
Posted by iaccforum on October 31, 2008
The controversial former Chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu asked a Lagos court yesterday to protect him from “powerful forces” threatening his safety, saying he feared he was in danger of being “eliminated”.
This disturbing scenario illustrates the smoke-and-mirrors world that characterises the front lines of the fight against corruption, where anti-corruption campaigners themselves become the targets of accusations of illicit behaviour and, often, of physical threats.
Ribadu made a name for himself with an aggressive (some said too agressive) approach to pursuing corrupt officials as the head of the EFCC. When it was announced a year ago that he was being temporarily moved from his post, and from Abuja, for a mandatory 12-month professional education course, supporters rallied around Ribadu, alleging that forces within the government, uncomfortable with his “gloves off” approach to fighting bribery and abuse of power, were using the course as a pretense for stripping him of his post.
Jesse Garcia
