EFCC To Write Interpol Over Sambo, Kuku, Lamorde, Others - Politics

•‘Sambo in US for therapy, to be back end of February’
•Kuku not running, already in court – Group

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, Ibrahim Magu, 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.

Saturday Telegraph recalls that the EFCC had last week raided the Abuja office of a former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, where an alleged sum of $50, 000 and vital documents were reportedly confiscated. One of Sambo’s aides, identified as Abba Daboh, is also currently serving as a witness in the ongoing trial against the spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh.

The EFCC was reported to have traced a sum of N25 million to Daboh’s account, allegedly paid by Destra Investment, a company allegedly owned by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP. But sources said the raid on Sambo’s office took place few days after the EFCC got wind that Sambo had allegedly moved some vital documents from his residence to the office, in many ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ bags. Saturday Telegraph had earlier reported how the EFFC had gotten the approval of the presidency to probe Sambo and some former chairpersons of the anti-graft agency.

In a swift reaction, a close associate of the former Vice President denied any involvement of Sambo in the arms scandal. According to the man, who is one of the trusted allies of Sambo, the former vice president just left Nigeria on January 25 for a further therapy on a knee operation that he recently had in the US.

“How can they be looking for him when he has been around all these while. He is not running, the VP is much around; he just left Nigeria last week, on January 25. “He has been in the country since November, nobody came looking for him.

He had been at home since November; he just travelled January 25, and he is not running from anybody. He had only gone for a continued therapy because of his knee ligament that was replaced”, he said. When asked to comment on why Sambo’s office was raided, he explained that it was a mistake on the part of the EFCC, and that the Escort Commander of President Muhammadu Buhari directed the operation. He further noted that the EFCC had already realised their mistake and has even apologised to the former VP, because Buhari is also not happy with what they did.

“Even the president doesn’t like what happened, they made a mistake. They thought the bags contained money, but the VP actually directed that some bags should be moved because of the renovation that was going on. “When they saw us moving bags, they thought they were full of money.

But they realised their mistake, because it was the Escort Commander that directed the operation, not even the EFCC. “Sambo has no business with Dasuki money, they can’t trace anything to him. Sambo was a wealthy man before he became the governor of Kaduna State, many people are aware of that. “He did not take a kobo from the arms deal, the only money Sambo took was his security vote, which was a statutory allocation, and nobody can accuse him of anything. “Sambo is not running, and he will be back once his therapy is over. I can assure you that Sambo will be in the country by the end of this month.

He is not running, he has nothing to be afraid of”, the aide said. On the part of Kuku, the Kuku Support Group (KSG) described the action of the EFCC as strange, saying, Kingsley Kuku was not on the run from the long arm of the law. Rather, the group championing his election as the next governor of Ondo State on the platform of the PDP said Kuku went to the United States of America (USA) for medical treatment.

The chairman of KSG, Hon Ebenezer Alabi, said the action of the EFCC “is very strange” in the sense that efforts are being made initially by the Federal Government to concoct allegations against Kuku, in order to link him with terrorism and to force people to implicate him on financial misappropriation. “Kuku is already in court based on these two privileged information that was made available to him.

The case already has been concluded and we are awaiting judgment. The Federal government should wait for the outcome of the judgment, which has been fixed, and is to be delivered within the next 15 days. “It will be a surprise if such action is taken. Kuku went abroad for medical treatment and the records in the hospital where the operation was performed are there for all to see. He is on the final stage of physiotherapy, just to make sure that his leg is property healed”, Alabi said.

http://newtelegraphonline.com/efcc-write-interpol-sambo-kuku-lamorde-others/