Breaking: EFCC declares ex-NIA boss Oke, wife wanted

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Sunday, March 24, declared the former director general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayodele Oke, wanted.

Also declared wanted is Folasade, the wife of the embattled Oke. A statement by the EFCC says the action followed their failure to answer for fraud charges filed against them. The anti-graft agency said Justice Chukwujeku Aneke of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, had on February 7, 2019, issued an arrest warrant on them. The arrest warrant was consequent upon an oral application by the counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo. “Oke and his wife are wanted in connection with the $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000 cash recovered by the EFCC from an apartment at Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, in April 2017.

“They are facing a four-count charge bordering on money laundering offence to the tune of N13 billion,” the EFCC statement said. One of the counts against them reads: “That you, Amb Ayodele Oke and Mrs Folasade Ayodele Oke between 25th day of August 2015 and 2nd day of September 2015 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this court directly converted $160,777,136.85 property of the federal government of Nigeria to your own use which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the money laundering (prohibition) (amendment) act 2012 and punishable under section 15(3) of the same act.”

Legit.ng earlier reported that there may be panic in the camps of outgoing governors in Nigeria as the EFCC began a probe into their activities. EFCC said it would begin the prosecution of the outgoing governors whose alleged cases of corruption had been established. The EFCC said the prosecution of the outgoing governors would begin as soon as they hand over on May 29.