The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has concluded plans to take over and set up an interim management at Sun Newspaper.

Sources at the EFCC said the Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, has been working with the prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs and Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, to institute another management at The Sun following the judgement against former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu.

Kalu was convicted over alleged N7.2billion fraud while serving as Abia governor on December 2, 2019 along ex-director of finance, Abia Govt House, Elder Udeogu and Slok Nigeria Limited.

It was gathered that the EFCC may announce a new management of The Sun tomorrow on the same date Kalu’s case on his no case submission at the Supreme Court is coming up.

Apparently relying on the judgement, we learnt the EFCC, which on December 14, 2019 marked The Sun office at Kirikiri, thus, “EFCC keep off,” has been secretly working to set up a new management at The Sun without making contact with the current managers.

The source said the EFCC want a complete take over of The Sun despite the fact that Kalu and Slok Nigeria have appealed the judgement of Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

It was gathered that Magu said as far as the High Court had ruled against Kalu, the EFCC will take over the company, the appeal notwithstanding, a decision which is contrarily to the law.

Lawyers who wondered why Magu is in such a hurry to act ahead of the laws of the land, however said the proper thing to do is not to tamper with The Sun or any other asset of Kalu untill the case is finally decided at the Supreme Court.

According to them, until the Supreme Court adjudicate on the matter, the final judgment is still pending. As the case can still go either way, they said.

The lawyer said any take over of The Sun or the Slok Nigeria is jumping the gun and resort to self help. As EFCC is supposed to allow the law to take it’s due course. From all indications, it seems there’s a strong hand that is interested in taking over the control of Sun Newspaper and use it towards 2023.

Again, we understand that some circles are not at home with the persistent coverage The Sun Newspapers give to IPOB and MASSOB activities as they see it as the last step to shut up the Igbos and shut them out of 2023. In taking over The Sun Newspaper they will use one stone to kill two birds.

Shutout a major organ that has played a pivotal role in the crusade in the Igbo struggle, and deny the Igbos their most potent media organ in Nigeria.

It will be recalled that when EFCC went to mark The Sun premises, the management, in a release, said there was a pending case at the Supreme Court challenging the earlier interim forfeiture order the commission has.

The management said it was proper to to allow all cases, including Kalu’s appeal, to be determined at the Supreme Court. This is the stand of the law and virtually every known lawyer in the nation has taken same stand too.

 

Credit: CityTimes