Following an ex parte order by a Federal Court in Abuja declaring them wanted, two officials of the Kogi State government, Abdulsalami Hudu and Umar Shuaibu Oricha, have turned themselves in at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters.
The court had ordered their arrest to have them appear before it to answer criminal allegations relating to withdrawal of N46,039,579,919.38 in cash from the state’s coffers, among others.
The order was granted by Justice Emeka Nwite last Tuesday in a motion ex parte filed by the anti-graft agency and marked as suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/909/2024.
The case is one of the latest litigations by the EFCC against several Kogi officials and associates. It was gathered that the two officials made themselves available to explain their position in respect of the matter as law-abiding citizens.
A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, said: “The Kogi State Government can confirm that two of her officials are currently at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja in response to a report that a Federal High Court ordered their arrest. Despite not receiving an official invitation, they decided to voluntarily report at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja.
“We have not been told the specific details about the allegations against them, but it may not be unconnected to the ongoing investigations regarding some present and former government officials.
“The officials reported as law-abiding citizens of Nigeria to further demonstrate that the Government of Kogi State has nothing to hide, and will always open her books to lawful investigations.
“We hope that the EFCC will respond to the patriotic action of the officials by remaining professional in conducting their investigations. As a Government, we are always prepared to cooperate with anti-graft agencies to prove our transparency and retain the confidence of our development partners, who have consistently given us awards in recognition of our unflinching transparency, accountability and probity.”
The Guardian gathered that the EFCC’s motion was consequent upon work by one of its investigating officers, Audu Abubakar, on the duo for graft claims.