The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has declared the former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ayodele Oke, and his wife Folashade wanted for failure to appear in court to answer to the criminal charges against them.
The two, who were declared wanted on Sunday, are facing a four-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N13 billion.
Recall that the two had been dragged the to court by the anti crime body over a stash of cash found in a flat at Osborne Road Ikoyi in April 2017.
However, Oke and his wife left the country in January ostensibly for medical treatment before they could be arraigned in court.
Justice Chukwujeku Aneke of a Federal High Court Lagos, had on February 7, 2019, issued an arrest warrant against them following an oral application by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo. He said they should be arrested wherever they were sighted.
A statement issued by the acting spokesman for the financial crime body, Tony Orilade, on Sunday, disclosed that the couple had been declared wanted.
According to the EFCC, the monies found in the Ikoyi flat were $43 million, £27,000 and N23 million withdrawn from the account of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services at the Central Bank of Nigeria in February 2015.
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The NIA had claimed ownership of the funds, saying they were meant for use in covert intelligence operations but it attracted a lot of public outcry and the federal government also insisted it was a case of looting.
It therefore set up a three-man panel headed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo which formally indicted Oke and recommended his dismissal.
One of the charges against the Okes 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.”
In issuing the arrest warrant against Oke and his wife, Justice Aneke had said: “I have carefully considered the oral application for the arrest of the person mentioned herein, and I am convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the said application is meritorious.
“Accordingly the application is hereby granted as prayed. It is hereby ordered that Ambassador Ayedele Oke and wife, Folasade Oke, should be arrested anywhere they are been sighted in the world.”
