I have yet to receive an official briefing on the issue since SPIP’s staff are observing the Eid-el-Kabir holiday and away from our desks.
The Special Presidential Investigational Panel (SPIP) for the Recovery of Public Property has denied the alleged sealing off of its office by the Nigeria Police Force.
The Chairman of the panel, Okoi Obono-Obla, refuted the claims in a statement in Abuja on Monday.
The panel’s office at No. 2802 Idris Kutigi Street, Asokoro Extension, Abuja, was at the weekend allegedly sealed off by police operatives.
Obono-Obla said, “As you all know, the past few days have been aghast with media reports of police sealing the offices of the panel. My attention was drawn to the unfortunate news item doing the rounds.
"I've been inundated with calls from members of the public who are seeking to know the true position of events concerning the purported sealing off of the SPIP offices in Abuja by armed policemen.
“I have yet to receive an official briefing on the issue since SPIP’s staff are observing the Eid-el-Kabir holiday and away from our desks.
“It is time we call the myths out for what they are, as the news doing the rounds appear to us as a smear campaign from people with their protectionist agenda in favour of persons being investigated. The pictures being painted of SPIP bear no resemblance to the reality on the ground.”
He added, “The efforts of the SPIP in the fight against corruption in Nigeria deserve to be recognized. Instead, we are being dismissed with misleading scare stories and arm-twisting of the panel officials by ‘highly-placed Nigerians’ wishing to protect some persons under our investigation and thereby distracting the panel from carrying out its lawful mandate.”