The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday revealed why it has failed to arrest former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke.
Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu disclosed that foreign law enforcement agencies were protecting Madueke from being arrested.
Speaking during a media chat in Abuja, Magu explained that if the former Minister was in Nigeria, she would have been arrested.
He said, “I need less than 72 hours to produce Diezani but how can I get her? She is being protected by other law enforcement agencies outside this country.
“This is our predicament. If she were here, I would have arrested her.
“The barrier is that other law enforcement agencies are involved in the matter. You know she is in the UK and we are making preparations to get her.
“We have already gone to court and this was part of the process of extradition; that is the court should declare that a warrant of arrest be issued against her and that we produce her within 72 hours.”
Magu pointed out that more than 80 percent of looted funds were hanging outside the country.
He said, “More than 80 per cent of the loot outside the country is still hanging. Ask them why it is so difficult to repatriate these funds when it has been established that this money came from Nigeria and you know that this person does not own this money.
“There is no justification. It is not a small amount of money. We have over $300m hanging in the Jersey Island, a UK foreign territory.”
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