Following credible intelligence received by operatives of the Enugu command of the commission, it arrested one Baron Nnamdi, the alleged designer, printer and owner of the billboards hosting the offensive political campaign messages on Saturday.
Nigeria’s foremost anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested an outdoor advertisement executive over political advertisements that appeared on two billboards in Enugu bearing the name and logo of the Commission.
Following credible intelligence received by operatives of the Enugu command of the commission, it arrested one Baron Nnamdi, the alleged designer, printer and owner of the billboards hosting the offensive political campaign messages on Saturday.
The two Super 48 Sheet billboards located at Otigba and Zik Avenue junctions in Enugu, bore offensive messages using the name of the EFCC to threaten the aspirations of some politicians in the state in the build-up to the 2023 general elections, a statement signed by Wilson Uwujaren, Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC’s Head of Media & Publicity, said on Sunday.
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The statement noted that one of the messages read: “2023: Enugu PDP Learn From 2007 Election… EFCC IS COMING WITH KOBOKO ON CORRUPT CANDIDATES.”
It added that Nnamdi had “volunteered a statement to the Commission, claiming he was contracted by a media aide to a former deputy governor of the state with governorship ambition. He claimed he was paid N160,000 for the one-week campaign and that the media aide to the former deputy governor supplied him with the messages, EFCC logo and pictures of operatives used for the advertisement”.
It further said, “Following his arrest, operatives of the Commission visited the two sites and pulled down the offensive advertisements.
“Meanwhile, the Commission warns politicians to play by the rule and refrain from dragging the EFCC into the political fray. It reiterates that, apart from issues of economic and financial crimes which fall within its purview, the Commission has no role in the political process and should not be distracted.
“It stated further, that it will not hesitate to bring the full weight of the law to bear on errant politicians who continue to impersonate the Commission and its operatives.”