Again, EFCC Interrogates Ex-DSS Boss, Ekpenyong

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday grilled a former Director-General of the Department of State Services, Ekpenyong Ita, for the second time.

It was learnt that the former DSS boss was questioned for several hours and asked to return on Monday.

A detective at the EFCC said, “He returned today for interrogation and after some hours we asked him to leave and return on Monday.”

Efforts to speak with the spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, on Friday evening proved abortive.

Ekpenyong, it was learnt, was under investigation as part of a larger probe into how billions of naira was transferred from the Central Bank of Nigeria to the DSS and the National Intelligence Agency during the build-up to the 2015 general elections.

While $289,202,382 (N57.8bn at the time) was given to the NIA, about N20bn was handed to the DSS.

The funds were approved by the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) reportedly under the instruction of then President, Goodluck Jonathan, according to memos.

“We want to know how the money given to the DSS was spent and how much Ekpenyong left for his successor (Lawal Daura),” an EFCC source said.

The EFCC is working on the theory that Daura allegedly diverted the funds left behind by Ekpenyong.

“When we tried to investigate the matter, the DSS under the leadership of Daura refused to cooperate with us and even threatened to shoot our men when we attempted to execute a search warrant last year. We believe he was trying to cover his tracks,” the source said.