Sambo, Kuku may soon be declared wanted by Interpol
– EFCC waits Buhari’s approval to declare some officials of the previous government wanted
– Former VP Sambo denies hiding from the anti-graft agency
Namadi Sambo
Former vice president Namadi Sambo may soon be declared wanted by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
The Telegraph reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to seek the cooperation of the international police Sambo alongside with some other officials of Goodluck Jonathan’s government in bringing them back into Nigeria.
Others are former special adviser to 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.
The anti-graft agency began considering 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 rejected.
A very top official in the Ministry of Justice said 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.
He said: “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.
“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.”
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.”
The EFCC had last week raided the office of former VP, where a supposed sum of $50, 000 and important documents were reportedly confiscated.
One of Sambo’s assistants, known as Abba Daboh, is also now serving as a witness in the current trial against the spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh.
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