The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions has given the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) two weeks to settle the agency’s corruption-related crisis.

Committee chairman Ayo Akinyelure (PDP-Ondo Central) handed the directive to the CCB chairman, Mohammed Isah and its federal commissioners on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr Isah and six feuding commissioners of the CCB appeared before the committee on Thursday.

“This committee is the ombudsman of the Senate; the voice of the voiceless in the Senate. You are stakeholders. Before the president appointed each of you to represent the people, he must have found you to be men of integrity,” said the committee chair. 

He added, “We have given respect to the agency because it is the number one anti-corruption agency created by the constitution. We give you two weeks to resolve your matter.’’

The aggrieved commissioners, led by Emmanuel Attah, had written a petition to the Senate alleging that Mr Isah was blocking investigations against public officers with multimillion-naira and multibillion-naira assets not stated in their assets declaration forms.

On the strength of the allegations against him, the CCB chairman was to appear before the committee penultimate Friday but was absent while five of the six commissioners were present.

One of the commissioners, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, and others told journalists that they petitioned the chairman to save the CCB from self-inflicted incapacitation by Mr Isah. 

(NAN)