Thing are getting more
interesting every day, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on
Wednesday night arrested a former military governor of Kaduna State and
chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Lawal Jafaru Isa.
Mr. Isa is the first
chieftain of the APC arrested by the EFCC since the beginning of a sweeping
probe into the alleged diversion of $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase by
officials of the immediate-past administration.
Mr. Isa, Military
Administrator of Kaduna State from December 1993 to August 1996 during the
military regime of General Sani Abacha and one-time governorship candidate of
the defunct CPC in Kano State, is a close friend of the embattled former
National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
Mr. Isa, also a close
political associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, was arrested at his Abuja
residence located at Ajayi Crowther Street, Asokoro.
A witness told PREMIUM
TIMES that operatives of the anti-graft commission invaded his residence around
9pm, and then whisked him away a few minutes later.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered
that Mr. Isa, a retired brigadier general, was invited last week to appear
before the commission on Wednesday (yesterday) to clear the air on “some
questionable receipts” from the former NSA.
Investigators believe the
retired soldier received over N100million from Mr. Dasuki.
Rather than honouring the
invitation, sources said, Mr. Isa wrote a letter to the EFCC through his
lawyer, seeking a postponement of his appearance date on the grounds of death
of a relative.
Apparently dissatisfied
with his excuse, the EFCC however arrested him to clarify the “questionable
receipts”.
The spokesperson of the
EFCC, Wilson Ujuwaren, could not be reached Thursday morning for comments on
the arrest.
But a top official of the
commission confirmed the development.
”He has been wasting our
time, and we just have to pick him up for our investigation to continue,” the
official said.
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