The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has clarified that Jonathan Okunbor, a suspect under investigation for allegedly misappropriating N6 billion, is not a witness in the ongoing Edo State election tribunal.
This response follows claims made by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, asserting that Okunbor was a witness in the tribunal proceedings.
In an official statement issued on Wednesday, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, firmly denied these allegations. He stated, “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has been drawn to a trending video insinuating that Mr. Jonathan Okunbor, a suspect being investigated for an alleged N6bn fraud, was an election witness.
“The Commission wishes to state without any equivocation that Okunbor is not a witness of the Peoples Democratic Party, in the election tribunal as claimed by Mr. Asue Ighodalo. Rather, he is a prime suspect connected to a case of misappropriation of funds involving all the 18 local government areas of Edo State.”
He elaborated further: “Ongoing investigations showed that about N6 billion was diverted to Kezmith Global Ventures owned by Okunbor. The suspect was running the ventures using the name and identity of Mr. Godfrey Emode.”
The EFCC uncovered this connection after Emode’s arrest, which eventually led them to Okunbor. During the investigation, Okunbor was reportedly found at Eterno Hotel, where he was attending a pre-trial meeting.
Oyewale also revealed that Ighodalo’s legal representative later confirmed that Okunbor was not involved as a witness in the tribunal, contradicting earlier claims.
