I HAVE THE LIST OF ALL EFCC STAFFS INVOLVED IN THE PENSION SCAM - FARIDA WAZIRI

Farida Waziri, ex EFCC boss.

An ex-Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri while being cross examined by the Senate Committee that probed pension administration, owned up to the fact that many EFCC staffs were co-opted into the scam under the guise of monitoring the biometric exercises in Nigeria and abroad.

Waziri whose name was copiously imprinted in the documents detailing who collected what for the local and foreign biometric exercises, denied every culpability but disclosed that she has a list of all EFCC staff who participated in the brigandage. Here is an excerpt of her statement:

I never travelled with the team to anywhere.  I went to Atlanta, USA on my own at one time; that is the only thing you would find variable. I don’t think anyone invited me though they wanted my staffs to assist the task force. They wrote a letter to the Secretary, I think they wanted 30 persons and I said it was too much. It was a local biometrics, there was nothing like Diaspora. It was when I travelled outside the country that I saw on AIT that some of my staffs traveled with them. You know we have this co-operation with other agencies, and when they demand for help, we select our best. So we gave them 10 persons. No, I was not even invited, but I have been to Atlanta on my own. 

Please sir, when I travel, the President would know, the AGF would know, the Chief Of Staff would also know. Lamorde is the Chairman now; my name is not there, am not the Chairman. As the EFCC Chairman, all over the world I am being invited for many programmes. No one would say go and do biometrics; legally my name is not here, so I am not the one here, and the account number doesn't belong to me. I will give you what I have in my system as at the time I left office. Remember that we were tracing the money and some monies were being recovered every day. I got the list to sack all suspects in 2010.There were petitions by EFCC, based on investigations. Sir, I want to say that they were just a bunch of conspirators doing this.