EFCC Chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri, rejected the resignation letter, saying that it was pre-emptive of a pending investigation against him. While some sources attributed the exit of Okauru to a disagreement between him and Mrs. Waziri; others said it was purely an administrative matter. A source said: "The exit of Okauru is long expected because he was one of the surviving officials brought in by the former Chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. There had been a cat-and-mouse game between Mrs. Waziri and Okauru.

"As a matter of fact, Mrs. Waziri had sought the service of an experienced official from the National Intelligence Unit to serve as a deputy to Okauru. So, it was a matter of time before the director would be removed. Mrs. Waziri had always had differences with Okauru on operational modalities. They had to strangely cohabit. "A curious dimension to the crisis over the resignation is the pressure on The Presidency to remove Okauru because his wife is presently the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service. Some senators had been raising issue on why a couple should occupy two sensitive positions in the nation’s economy.

Another source said: "Okauru had actually slowed down the pace of the NFIU since Ribadu left. If not for personal intervention of Mrs. Waziri, the anti-graft commission would not have made any breakthrough since she came on board.
"It is unfortunate that people whip up sentiments when necessary administrative steps are taken. Should Mrs. Waziri allow the rot to continue?"

But a statement by the commission, signed by Mr. Wilson Uwujuaren, said Okauru was still undergoing disciplinary action.
The statement reads: "The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to media reports on the purported resignation of the Director of the Benin Republic Financial Intelligence Unit, Mr. Asishana B. Okauru. "In view of the sensitivity of the issue and to ensure that members of the public are well informed, it is necessary to state the facts as it affects Okauru. "The issue surrounding his purported resignation borders on negligence and gross dereliction of duty. It flows from the commission’s investigation of a case of corruption and money laundering involving ranking officials of the Rivers State Government.

"Investigations revealed that the NFIU director received a suspicious transaction report (STR) from Zenith Bank which could have assisted the commission’s investigation but failed to forward the report to the commission despite being aware of the agency’s investigation activities. "EFCC viewed this negligence seriously. Consequently, Okauru was queried. His response to the query was considered unsatisfactory, prompting his suspension. "However, he refused to collect his letter of suspension and, instead, turned in his resignation letter which has not been accepted by the commission. "This is a disciplinary matter which is being handled in accordance with laid down procedures."

By: Yusuf Alli, culled from the Nation Newspapers