Shocking! EFCC to Involve Interpol in Arresting Former Vice President, Kuku, Lamorde, Others

 

These may not be the best of times for some former top Federal Government officials, who served during the immediate past Goodluck Jonathan administration, as Saturday Telegraph has learnt that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to seek the cooperation of the International Police Organisation (Interpol) in bringing them back into the country.

Some of those that may be affected in the Interpol arrangement include former Vice President,  Namadi Sambo, former Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Niger Delta Affairs and the then Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Kingsley Kuku, as well as the immediate past chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, among others.

Investigations by Saturday Telegraph reveal that the EFCC began contemplating the idea after series of opportunities given to the ex-officials to return home did not yield any result, a report that Sambo and Kuku denied.

Though the spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, in a telephone conversation, denied knowledge of any such moves by the agency, a very top official in the Ministry of Justice confided in Saturday Telegraph that if the EFCC receives the blessing of the presidency to that effect, the letters to the Interpol will go out not later than Tuesday. “The letters would be sent to Interpol by Tuesday, we are only waiting for the president to give approval. You know we can’t do such without getting the presidency involved.

“They are the people that will still facilitate the extradition of these people. Some of them are not just anybody, and it will look as if we are treating them as common criminals. “Our former oga is also among them and these people have some international connections, so we have to thread cautiously.

Mr. President must be involved, because some very top and powerful people have been indicted. “We gave them a lot of opportunity to come back home and defend themselves, but they have not been forthcoming. We have spoken with some of them, but they are just giving excuses.

“Once the president gives the approval, we will have no choice than to move against them through the Interpol. They will surely bring them back home and that will even be more disastrous for them, because no court will grant them bail, after seeing that they are trying to evade justice”, he said.

But when probed further on the names of those that are likely to be on the list, he was quick to mention some people that are well known in the country, including a former EFCC boss, a former minister and a host of others.

 

The anti-graft agency had been on the offensive since the emergence of its new boss,, who had dared to investigate some powerful Nigerians, including serving and retired Generals, even going as far as ransacking the office of a former number-two citizen in the country.