We Will Get You; EFCC Seeks INTERPOL’s Help To Arrest Ex-AGF Adoke & Others

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an international manhunt for all those suspected of complicity in the $2.1bn arms scam, the N676m immigration job scandal and other such high profile corruption cases.

EFCC had sent the names of the suspected individuals to the International Police Organisation.

A source at the commission said that INTERPOL had been asked to keep some of the suspected individuals under close watch while some others should be arrested immediately they are sighted.

The source told Punch that, “We are seeking INTERPOL’s assistance to establish the exact locations of these persons and to help us to monitor their movements. If these persons are travelling from one country or the other, we would be alerted at the airport.

“Once we can get them, we will approach a court and get an extradition order.”

He said that there are two methods of getting a person that has fled abroad. One is to report to INTERPOL and then INTERPOL gets them wherever they are. The second method is to officially seek their extradition through diplomatic means.

“When you go to court, the court will issue a bench warrant or an order for extradition and it is the court paper you will send to the government of the jurisdiction where the persons are. That is Mutual Legal Treaty Assistance,” the source added.

Some persons indicted by EFCC, including ministers under the government of Goodluck Jonathan, have since fled the country and have refused to honour EFCC invitations.

For instance, ex-Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Bello Adoke (SAN), is one of those who have refused to honour an EFCC invitation over the $2bn Malabu scam since December and even said in an open letter to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo that he would not honour the invitation because there was a plot by his political opponents to embarrass him.

An anti-graft agency in The Hague, Netherlands, has confirmed that they searched Adoke’s residence in the territory, following collaboration with the EFCC.

Also, one of those charged in the immigration job scandal, Mahmood Ahmadu, in connivance with Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd, allegedly lavished N423m of the N676m extorted from the poor Nigerian applicants on several choice properties.

The EFCC had also accused a former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, of an alleged N2bn fraud. They are looking for these men seriously.