The Code of Conduct Bureau ( CCB) is enmeshed in corruption as the bureau’s six Commissioners jointly petitioned its chairman, Prof. Mohammed Isah, alleging that he allegedly blocked investigation of N109 billion fraud perpetrated by the former Accountant General of Federation, Idris Ahmed.

Already, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned the former AGF for N109 fraud, but the commissioners alleged that the chairman blocked investigation when the matter was initially brought to his attention.

Alleged corrupt practices being perpetrated by the Chairman of the Bureau was raised by all the six federal commissioners running the anti-graft agency with him through petitions submitted to the Senate committee on Ethics , Privileges and Public Petitions.

The Commissioners led by Dr Emmanuel Attah, in the jointly signed petition, alleged the embattled Chairman of CCB to have within the last four years, been blocking required investigations into petitions against public officers with multi-million and billion naira assets not stated in their assets declaration forms.

On the strength of the allegations against him, the CCB Chairman was summoned to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions last Friday but he was absent while five out of the six commissioners were present .

The absence of the CCB Chairman however made the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, to direct him to appear before the committee unfailingly on Thursday, 6th October, 2022 by 2:00pm prompt.

“The petition before this committee on allegations against the Chairman of Code of Conduct Bureau ( CCB) bordering on corrupt practices is worrisome and he must be here to defend himself.

“The seriousness of the matter lies on the fact that the petitioners are even the six federal commissioners appointed to be working with him in the fight against corruption.

“The Commissioners are here but the Chairman who is in the eye of the storm is not here. We have gone through all the issues raised in the jointly signed petition by the Commissioners and they are very disturbing if eventually proven.

“Therefore for fair hearing, we are re- inviting the Chairman to appear before this committee on Thursday , 6th October , 2022 unfailingly by 2:00pm prompt for required response or responses from him on all allegations leveled against him in the petition,” he said .

Addressing journalists after the adjourned session, one of the Commissioners , Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, along with other aggrieved commissioners , said they petitioned the Chairman to save the CCB from self-inflicted incapacitation slammed on it by the Chairman.

According to him, all the Commissioners and the Chairman were appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to help in the war against corruption within the public service at all levels.

“The Chairman, going by his conducts, is not ready to fight the war in anyway but sabotage it by sitting on series of petitions written against corrupt public officers whose assets far outweigh what were declared in the Assets Declaration Forms.

“The N109 billion loot linked to the now investigated Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, was first reported to CCB through petitions, but it was prevented from being acted upon by the Chairman.

“We are ever ready to support Mr President’s war against corruption but very disturbed by the frustration being thrown into it in CCB by no less a person than the Chairman.

“We have written petition against him as declared by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions here today and want him to meet us face to face before members of the committee for whatever defence he wants to make.

“Corruption must be killed in Nigeria before it kills us and anybody that is not ready to join in the fight or war against it should be shown the way out of public service, particularly those saddled with responsibilities of curbing corrupt practices in the country like CCB”, he said .

Other Commissioners present at the briefing were Professor Folorunsho Ogundare , Elder Ubolo Okpanachi and Barrister Ben Nnana.