EFCC may extradite ex-Customs boss Dikko from Dubai

Former Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko Inde, may turn out to be the first corruption suspect to be extradited to face criminal charges at home in the Buhari administration.

Sources at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) say the anti-crime agency was considering the use of extradition to bring home Dikko from Dubai if he fails to honour its invitation “in the next few days”.

The commission’s operatives had stormed Dikko’s Jabi, Abuja, house while he was away to Dubai.

They had searched for incriminating evidence over the ongoing investigation of some petitions against the erstwhile Customs boss.

Dikko voluntarily retired from the service shortly after the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to a source at EFCC, Dikko’s failure to honour its invitation may mean the use of extradition from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he is suspected to be living since retirement.

“It is advisable for Dikko to return home this week to answer some questions raised by the petitioners, who accused him of sharp practices while in office otherwise the commission will have no choice but to use the tool of extradition to bring him to justice wherever he may be,” the source said.

According to the source, “Dikko has some questions to answer over what Col. Ali (his successor) met on ground. The place stinks, to say the least and if the man has travelled out of the country, we may ask him to come back if he has nothing to hide, else we may be forced to use other ways to bring him back”.

Informed sources reveal that the former Customs boss, who was slated to have returned home before now, allegedly decided to stay back ever since the news of the EFCC’s invasion of his house broke.

Rather, he has allegedly employed the services of highly respected Nigerians such as Emirs, Obas and the likes, as emissaries to beg President Buhari on his behalf.

In its bid to recover Nigeria’s stolen funds stashed in foreign banks, the Federal Government had last Tuesday, signed different bilateral agreements with authorities of UAE. The agreements were essentially on trade, finance and judicial matters.

While the agreement on trade was to promote investments and business dealings amongst the two countries, the judicial bilateral agreement would enable the country to extradite, or transfer persons serving jail terms.

The signing of the agreements, which took place at Abu Dhabi, was witnessed by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, from UAE stated that Nigeria’s Ministers of Finance, Trade/Investment, and Justice signed the respective agreements on behalf of the Nigerian government.

“Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and the UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Obaid Attayar, signed the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement, while the Minister of Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, signed the agreement on Trade Promotion and Protection with the UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs.

“The Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and his counterpart in the United Arab Emirates, Sultan Bin Saeed Albadi, signed the Judicial Agreements on Extradition, Transfer of Sentenced Persons, Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal Matters, and Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal and Commercial Matters, which includes the recovery and repatriation of stolen wealth,” the statement said.

Speaking at a reception after the signing of the agreements, President Buhari reiterated his commitment to fighting corruption and restoring Nigeria’s dignity in the comity of nations.

Newswatch