Operatives of
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Nigeria
Customs Service on Wednesday at Mallam Aminu Kano Airport
arrested Aminu, the eldest son of Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji
Sule Lamido, over alleged money laundering.
Sources at the airport
said Aminu was arrested in the process of boarding an Egypt Air to Cairo by
12.30am by officials of the EFCC
It was learnt that the son of the
governor declared $10,000 at the counter, while further search and
interrogation led to the uncovering of another $40,000, which was concealed in
his luggage.
He was promptly arrested by the EFCC
officials.
Spokesman for the EFCC, Mr.
Wilson Uwujaren, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspect would be
charged to court as soon as investigations were completed.
It was learnt that Aminu had been
transferred to EFCC custody, pending his arraignment in court.
Several efforts to contact the
governor’s spokesman, Umar Kyari, on the arrest of Lamido’s son
failed as his phone was not reachable.
Meanwhile, a group, Anti Corruption
Network, has asked the Federal Government to sack and prosecute the entire
management and board of the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company over
the missing N2.1bn.
The money, newly-printed N1000
notes, allegedly disappeared from the NSPMC’s vaults last week.
The group, which staged a protest at
Victoria Island, Lagos, on Monday, warned that any attempt to sweep the matter
under the carpet would be resisted.
The group said only a 30 tonne truck
or about three bullion vans could move such a huge volume of physical cash.
It, therefore, wondered how such a
huge amount of money could disappear without any trace.
Lagos State
Coordinator of the group, Mr. Ayo Oyalowo, said, “We are
gathered here today as law-abiding and concerned citizens of Nigeria to show
our displeasure towards the shameless and barefooted looting that has
characterised the present government in Nigeria.
“How
do you explain the disappearance of a whopping N2.1bn from the vaults of the
NSPMC? And as we speak, all that have been done or we have heard from the
officials are some half-hearted and unconvincing speeches.
“Let
the Federal Government of Nigeria immediately fire the entire management and
board of NSPMC. We also ask that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
diligently prosecute anyone found culpable in this shameful act.”
He said a society
where criminals continued to get away with huge crimes, is giving an open
invitation to anarchy.
“Such
development will ultimately force the people to take the laws into their own
hands,” Oyalowo said.
Source: The Punch
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