The chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Ekpo Nta, has been been ordered to embark on compulsory leave.
Reports state that Nta was asked to proceed on leave giving the impression that he may have been subtly fired by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Source within the presidency told The Gazetter that the president is not comfortable with the way the ICPC under Nta had handled corruption cases against some high-profile Nigerians. Staff of the anti-graft agency have also complained about poor management causing disaffection and inefficiency.
The report said a letter to that effect from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, asked Nta to proceed on compulsory leave beginning from October 26.
Nta was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 and confirmed in 2012 by the Senate, had earlier ignored two previous letters from the office of the SGF asking him to embark on compulsory leave.
Nta had argued before President Buhari recently that his tenure would end on November 17, 2017, while the president said records available to him showed that he was to leave office as ICPC chairman on November 17, 2016. The report said Nta would inform staff of the ICPC today, Wednesday, October 26 of his leave.
