Crimes Commission asks Intercontinental boss to come home or shut up in exile

From the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) came a sharp advice to former Intercontinental Bank Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Erastus Akingbola: come home and defend yourself.

Since his removal as Intercontinental Bank CEO, along with four other bank chiefs, and declared wanted by EFCC over the huge non-performing loans of the bank, Akingbola is yet to surrender himself to the commission.

He had quietly slipped to the United Kingdom from where he has been fighting against what he called his illegal removal from office. Two days ago, Akingbola said he had reported himself to UK Police after being declared wanted in Nigeria.

A statement issued on his behalf by his Media Assistant Suleiman Adebajo in Lagos said: “Akingbola wishes to make clear-in light of escalating press speculation-that he is most emphatically not evading arrest by the law enforcement agencies in Nigeria or 'on the run'.”
He said Akingbola “is not guilty of any wrongdoing but appears targeted for persecution and for character desmirchment” and that the prime objective of detaining all those arrested was to prevent them from presenting their side of the story.

But EFCC Spokesman Femi Babafemi, who spoke on behalf of the commission's Chairman Farida Waziri yesterday, said Akingbola should be bold enough to come home and tell Nigerians his own side of the story.

He said the anti-graft commission was waiting for him.