The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu has said that the commission would not be frustrated in the case of a former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who has been indicted for graft and is currently in the United Kingdom.
“We have collected a lot of information to expose the looters for them to return their loots. For instance, there is sabotage from foreign partners about the trial of Alison Madueke, because they (foreign nations) are protecting her from been extradited.”
Magu is however optimistic that Madueke will be brought back to Nigeria this year to continue her five-year-long trial.
“She (Madueke) will be brought down to Nigeria for the continuation of her trial this year because there is no reason for keeping her.…. Why should one issue be investigated for five years, this is a straight forward case” he added.
Madueke’s Repatriation
Alison-Madueke was arrested in the UK where she escaped to in 2015 following Goodluck Jonathan’s loss at the polls. She is being investigated for money laundering in the UK and Nigeria; the EFCC has named her in various corruption trials while properties worth billions of naira have been seized from her.
The court granted the EFCC authorization to arraign Alison-Madueke, former Chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Company, Olajide Omokore, on five counts on February 25, 2019.
The anti-graft body further alleged that the ex-minister accepted gift of properties described as penthouse 22, Block B, Admiralty Estate, Ikoyi, and penthouse 21, building 5, Block C, Banana Island, Lagos.
The EFCC claims the alleged offence, contravened the provisions of Sections 26(1) and 17 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
On Nov. 11, 2018, the EFCC began the process to repatriate Madueke, however, financial experts think that it is almost impossible for Britain to deport Madueke, who had brought in hundreds of millions of dollars into the UK because it (Britain) is infamous for accepting dirty money from around the world by offering suspected criminals ‘Golden Visa’.
Challenges of Whistle Blowing
The EFCC boss noted that the whistle-blower policy of the federal government is still active explaining that it slowed down due to court processes involved in recovering loot.
Whistle-blowing Policy which was launched on December 21, 2016, in Nigeria is an anti-corruption program that encourages people to voluntarily disclose information about fraud, bribery, looted government funds, financial misconduct, government assets and any other form of corruption or theft to Nigeria’s federal ministry of finance.
A whistle-blower is entitled to 2.5% – 5% percent from the recovered funds by the Nigerian government but may never get his commission because of the prolonged prosecution of the accused corruptors.
Ibadan ‘Yahoo Boys’
The EFCC said it did not only seek to arrest the 89 suspected internet fraudsters it rounded up in Club 360, Ibadan but to also rehabilitate them into the society.
The commission had to clear the air after it received heavy backlash following the news of the arrest with most tagging it indiscriminate profiling;
“We (only) go against the fraudsters who made money illegally, and we only do that when we have actionable intelligence,” Magu said.
The EFCC had carried out the raid on the 17th of January at Club 360 on Akala Expressway, Oluyole Extension in Ibadan and confiscated scores of vehicles, laptops, sophisticated phones, and other items.
