The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, did not attend an invitation by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) for an ongoing investigation into an alleged breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers.
According to reports, the minister, scheduled to meet with interrogators at 11 am, did not appear at the CCB headquarters between 10 am and 1 pm.
CCB spokesperson Veronica Kato confirmed the development on Tuesday, stating that the minister’s interrogation would be rescheduled due to his memo to the bureau citing a national assignment.
“Yes, the minister’s interrogation has been rescheduled. He wrote, asking that it be rescheduled because he has a national assignment, so it has been rescheduled for a later date,” Kato said.
When asked about the next scheduled date, she said there was no specific date yet.
“We don’t have a precise date now, but it has been rescheduled to another day,” she said.
The CCB had invited the minister over his company’s involvement in a ₦438 million contract with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
The company, New Planet Projects, allegedly belonging to the minister, benefitted from a contract from the ministry.
A document revealed that the CCB invited the minister to appear on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at the CCB headquarters, Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja.
The letter, signed by Gwimi S.P, the CCB Director, Investigation and Monitoring, on behalf of the CCB Chairman, Murtala Aliyu, stated that the bureau’s invitation is pursuant to its mandate and powers as enshrined in the Third Schedule, Part 1, 3 (e) of the 1999 Constitution.
The minister’s absence raises questions about the implications for the ongoing investigation and the need for a rescheduled date to proceed.