The police and men of Directorate of state security service (DSS) as well operatives of Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) yesterday raided the residence of former Vice president Namadi Sambo on No. 1 Alimi road in Kaduna.
The operatives arrived the expansive residence of the former vice president a few minutes after 3:00 pm and were inside the premises till around 5:30 pm when they left.
They were heavily armed and came in three vehicles: A white coloured Coaster bus, a Toyota Hilux van and a dark coloured Toyota Corolla car.
The white bus had an eagle insignia on it but with no inscription identifying which of the agencies it belonged to.
The Corolla was parked outside as the operatives numbering up to ten conducted the search within the residence while the others of waited outside.
It was learnt that this was the fifth time the property would be searched in three months.
The spokesperson for the ICPC, Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that she was not aware of the search and thus could not comment.
“I am just hearing about the raid from you. I am not aware of it and I have no information,” she said.
However, Sambo’s media aide, Mallam Umar Sani, said the ICPC officials came with a court order to search the place.
He stated that it was not the first time the house was being raided by the anti-graft agency.
Sani added, “This is not the first time they are searching the house. They have searched the house on numerous occasions. Today (Wednesday), they came with a court order and gave a copy of the court order to the CSO (Chief Security Officer) in the house.
“After they concluded the search, they wrote at the back page of the court order that they gave to the CSO that they didn’t find anything and they left. So, we are not surprised because it has now become a routine.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had carried out a similar search on one of Sambo’s properties in Abuja in 2016. – More reports from Punch.
