N13bn fraud: EFCC approaches Interpol for ex-NIA DG, wife’s arrest

The whereabouts of a former Director-General of the National
Intelligence Agency, Ayodele Oke, and his wife, Folasade, remain
unknown one week after they were declared wanted by the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission.

According to the anti-corruption body, they are wanted for
failing to appear in court to answer to the N13bn money laundering
charges against them.

The couple reportedly travelled out of the country for medical
treatment in January before they were to be arraigned.

Justice Chukwujeku Aneke of the Federal High Court Lagos on
February 7, 2019 issued an arrest warrant against the couple
following an oral application by EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo.

Sequel to the court order, the commission on March 24 declared
the ex-spy chief and his wife wanted in a statement by its acting
EFCC spokesman, Tony Orilade.

Oke and his wife are wanted in connection with the $43m, £27,800
and N23.8m cash recovered by the EFCC from an apartment in Ikoyi,
Lagos, in April 2017.

Orilade told newsmen that they had asked Interpol to arrest the
couple wherever they might be hiding.

He added that the commission expected all Interpol
member-countries to execute the arrest warrant issued against
them.

He said, “We have done what we needed to do. We have notified
Interpol and we expect them to issue a red notice against the
couple and arrest them wherever they may be found. We don’t know
where they are at present.”

Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, also could not
provide an update on the status of the EFCC request to Interpol,
stating that he was out of town.

A check on Interpol website, however, did not turn up any
information on Oke and his wife, an indication that they had not
been listed on the wanted persons’ section of the site.

Only the profiles of a handful of Nigerians were listed out of
the 6,855 wanted persons.

They include Odife Ikemefuna, 55, wanted for importing banned
drugs and psychotropic substances from India and Iyinoluwa Victor,
55, wanted for drug trafficking.

Under Oke, the NIA allegedly collected $289,202,382 in cash for
special operations from the account of the National Petroleum
Investment Management Services at the Central Bank of Nigeria in
February 2015.

The agency had claimed that the funds were meant for covert
intelligence operations, but the Federal Government insisted it was
a case of looting.

The FG subsequently set up a three-man panel headed by
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. The panel indicted Oke and
recommended his dismissal from service.

Criminal charges were subsequently filed against him and his
wife in February this year over the cash found at the Ikoyi
apartment.