First Bank of Nigeria Limited’s parent company, FBN Holdings Plc, has dismissed a report alleging that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared Nnamdi Okonkwo, its group managing director, wanted in connection with a bogus N400bn purportedly discovered in the home of Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Recall that an online platform had in a report that went viral on Sunday, alleged that EFCC operatives raided Tinubu’s home and recovered N400bn.
The report, which has since been dismissed by both the EFCC and the APC presidential campaign council, had also alleged that the commission declared the MD of FirstBank wanted, with an image of Nnamdi Okonkwo, the group managing director of FBN Holdings used.
However, in a statement on Monday, the management of FBN Holdings described the report as “malicious,” and firmly asserted that it’s fake news.
“Our attention has been drawn to false news making the rounds that an order of arrest has been made against the MD of FirstBank whilst using the name and image of the GMD of FBN Holdings. We wish to state categorically that this is fake news which has already been debunked by EFCC in their publication titled: ‘EFCC Did Not Raid Tinubu’s Home’ and signed by the commission’s head, Media & Publicity on its verified Twitter handle,” the statement reads.
“Neither the managing director of the bank nor the group managing director of the holding company, Nnamdi Okonkwo has any involvement with the matters alleged in this made-up news story nor is there an order of arrest against either one of them.
“The public should disregard this and all such stories whilst the authorities are called upon to fish out the perpetrators of this malicious story.”
Meanwhile, the EFCC had, while reacting to the report, issued a statement signed by the commissions Head, Media & Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren confirming that there was no truth in it.
“The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to a report circulating in the social media, claiming that operatives of the commission raided the home of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the forthcoming presidential elections and recovered a humongous sum of N400billion,” Uwajeren said.
“The commission wishes to state that no such operation was carried out by the EFCC. The public is enjoined to disregard the report as fake news.”
