The Federal High Court in Lagos, has ordered the arrest of former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ayodele Oke and his wife Folashade.
The order followed an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, asking the court to issue a bench warrant for their arrest since the anti-graft agency was finding it difficult to secure their attendance in court.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke said the couple should be arrested “anywhere they are sighted in the world.”
The EFCC had instituted four counts charge of money laundering against Oke and his wife in connection with the sums of $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000, totalling N13bn it recovered from Flat 7B Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos linked to them.
The Okes had initially been scheduled for arraignment last Friday but the anti-graft agency failed to produce them in court. The matter was then adjourned till Wednesday.
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But again on Wednesday, the EFCC also failed to bring them to court. The prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the judge that the anti-graft agency had difficulty locating the ex-NIA DG and his wife.
He said the EFCC operatives had gone to look for them in all their known addresses to serve them with the charge sheet, but the couple was nowhere to be found.
The EFCC then sought a bench warrant against the former NIA boss and his wife.
The judge gave the prosecutor 24 hours to bring a proper application for the couple’s arrest.
