The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arrested a former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, and the former Chairman of DAAR Communications Plc, owners of African Independent Television and Ray Power FM, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, in connection with the ongoing $2bn arms procurement probe.
Also, the operatives of Department of State Service (DSS) on Tuesday morning whisked away the immediate National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (Rtd) to their office in Abuja.
The EFCC’s Special Task Force had on Monday arrested a son of the former governor, Sagir Bafarawa, for allegedly receiving N4.6bn from the Office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Sagir was undergoing interrogation by some members of the EFCC’s 27-man Task Force, which the commission Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, set up last month when his father was brought into the commission’s headquarters in the early hours of Tuesday.
A top operative of the commission said the EFCC decided to pick Bafarawa because of the belief that the son might have acted as a front for him in the arms deals under investigation.
The source stated that the task force arrested Dokpesi on Tuesday in connection with about N2.5bn allegedly traced to him from the Office of the National Security Adviser.
He was arrested in Abuja and taken to the Idiagbon House Headquarters of the commission in Abuja by 12pm.
The source added, “Today, the commission continued with the arms probe and arrested two people. We have with us the former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, and the Chairman of DAAR Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi.
“The allegation against Dokpesi is that he received N2.5bn. Bafarawa was brought in in the early hours of the day while Dokpesi was brought in by 12noon.
“We have not got the former PDP Chairman, Haliru Bello, but definitely efforts are on to get him. It is expected because his name came up during the investigation.”
It was learnt that the anti-graft agency’s operatives were still extracting statements from the suspects as of the time of filing this report.
Investigation further revealed that the commission was intensifying efforts to arrest a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Haliru Mohammed, who was also a former Minister of Defence, for allegedly having a hand in the arms funds.
The commission had arrested the son of the ex-PDP chairman, Abba Mohammed, on Monday for alleged complicity in the arms deals.
It was stated that the son received N600m in the name of BAM Properties Limited.
As of the time of filing in this report, a former Minister of State for Finance, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, and the ex-PDP chairman’s son, who were arrested on Monday in connection with their roles in the arms procurement deals, were still in the EFCC detention.
Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, could not be reached for comments as calls to his mobile did not connect.
Dokpesi’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), however, denied that former Daar Communications chairman was arrested.
He said the businessman was invited by the EFCC for questioning with respect to one of his companies, Daar Investment and Holding Company.
Ozekhome told one of our correspondents on the telephone that Dokpesi left for the EFCC office along with a lawyer from his (Ozekhome’s) Abuja office to honour the invitation.
He said moments before our correspondent’s called at about 6.55pm on Tuesday, he was just informed that Dokpesi was writing a statement at the EFCC office.
He said, “Dokpesi was not arrested. He was invited. Let get this clear. They (EFCC) wanted to question Daar Investment and Holding Company, which is a separate legal entity. To me, Dokpesi should not even have gone there when he was invited by the acting chairman of EFCC because anybody in Daar Holding, as a legal entity, could have gone there. Dokpesi called me that the Acting Chairman (of EFCC), Mr. Magu, called him to come and clarify certain things concerning his company and I told him to go and I sent a junior lawyer from my Abuja office. It was just a mere telephone conversation. There is a difference between inviting a person and arresting a person.”
In its reaction, however, the PDP condemned Dokpesi’s arrest, saying it was aware that more “notable PDP leaders have similarly been listed for arrest over unproven allegations.
The former ruling party alleged that this move was “pursuant to the plot by the APC to cow and silence opposition in the country.”
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, on Tuesday, the PDP said “the military style of pronouncement of guilt on Chief Dokpesi before any fair hearing, betrays the fact that he is a victim of political persecution and mob trial by the APC government.”
It added, “While the PDP is not against the war against corruption, we insist that the crusade must be carried out within the limits of the law and not as a guise to persecute and torture opposition elements in the country.
“Our fear is that with the pronouncement of guilt even without being given the opportunity as a citizen to state his own side of the story, the President Buhari-led government is sidestepping the laws to ensure that Chief Dokpesi does not get justice in the court, a plot which they want to extend to other PDP leaders. – Punch.
