EFCC Goes After Ex-Gov. Modu Sheriff over N300 billion Borno Funds, Set to Detain Him Thursday

A former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, is expected to appear before anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, today Thursday.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt Tuesday that he has been summoned by the Commission and is expected to report at the agency’s Abuja head office to respond to questions bordering on allegations of “misappropriation, embezzlement of funds and abuse of office while he was governor”.

Multiple sources at the anti-graft agency told the newspaper that should Mr. Sheriff fail to show up as
directed, he would be declared wanted and then arrested. Detectives are already on his trail and watching his movement to prevent him from fleeing, sources said.

Although the specific allegations against the former governor is unclear at this time, the newspaper gathered that the investigation is related with allegations that parts of the N300billion his administration received from the Federation Account between 2003 and 2011 may not have been judiciously spent. The investigation began in 2012 and had been ongoing ever since.

Mr. Sheriff ruled Borno State on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party [ANPP].
Before then, he was senator between 1999 and 2003 on the ticket of the same party.

It remains unclear why Mr. Sheriff is being invited by the anti-graft agency at the tail end of an administration formed by his own party, the Peoples Democratic Party, which he joined only last year.

The spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, could not be reached to comment for this story. He did not answer or return calls. He also did not respond to a text message seeking comment.
Mr. Sheriff too could not be reached. His known mobile telephone was switched off for most of Tuesday and Wednesday, PremiumTimes adds.  Multiple calls to his spokesperson, Inuwa Bwala, failed to connect.

The former governor, who has since fallen out with his successor, Kashim Shetttima, dumped the All Progressives Congress, which he helped form in 2013.