Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested an outdoor advertisement executive, Baron Nnamdi, over political advertisements bearing the name and logo of the commission.
According to a statement by EFCC’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, on Sunday, the said adverts are on two billboards located at Otigba and Zik Avenue Junctions in Enugu.
The commission said the adverts bore offensive messages using the name of the EFCC to threaten the aspiration of some politicians in the state in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.
The EFCC said the arrest and detention followed the credible intelligence it received. It said officers of its Enugu zonal command on Saturday arrested Mr. Nnamdi, said to be “the alleged designer, printer and owner of the billboards hosting the offensive political campaign messages.”
He claimed he was paid N160,000 for the one-week campaign and that the former deputy governor’s media aide provided him with the messages, EFCC emblem, and images of operatives.
Meanwhile, the commission has issued warnings to politicians to play by the rules and refrain from dragging the EFCC into the political fray.
It added that, apart from issues of economic and financial crimes which fall within its purview, the commission has no role in the political process and should not be distracted.
It stated further, that it will not hesitate to bring the full weight of the law to bear on errant politicians who continue to impersonate the commission and its operatives.
