The ‘tables of justice’ have turned dramatically as the result of a rift between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the former Head of Security and Communications Department of the inoperative Police Equipment Foundation (PEF), George Uboh. On Monday, Uboh was sentenced to jail for three years by the Justice of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja following his conviction for a “criminal breach of trust involving the sale of PEF vehicles” and converting the use of PEF property for himself. According to the charges, Uboh, who previously accused ex-EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, of diverting up to N1 trillion worth of assets recovered from EFCC crime suspects, abused the privileges of his former office.

In January, Uboh was arraigned by the EFFC and subsequently prosecuted for holding ‘Nigeria to ransom’ after he claimed that the police vehicles in his possession were given to him by the former National Coordinator of the PEF as compensation for a debt which he was owed. Unfortunately for Uboh, his counsel could not provide evidence to back his claim.

Before finding himself in his current situation, Uboh sent a petition to the Nigerian Senate in July 2015, where he accused the EFCC, under Lamorde’s leadership at the time, of embezzlement. Uboh stated that he had enough presentable evidence to support his allegations and a couple of months later he threatened to take the Federal Government to court if due action was not taken concerning the matter.

Lamorde, on his part, responded to Uboh’s claim at the time by labelling it a “smear campaign” which should not be taken seriously. In defending the EFFC, Lamorde insisted that no such funds were in the possession of the Commission, and that even in the event of funds diversion it was impossible for such an amount to be accrued in the 12-year period in which the EFCC has existed. Last month, the Senate was ordered to stop the probe against Lamorde.

Although he initially pleaded guilty, Uboh, however, has not been able to escape the long arm of the law which, ironically, was moved by the activities of the EFCC against him.

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