Alex Enumah in Abuja
A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a warrant of arrest against a former Comptroller-General (CG) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Abdullahi Dikko.
The judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, made the order on the grounds that Dikko has consistently failed to show up for trial.
At the court session yesterday, Dikko’s lawyer, Mr. Solomon Akuma, presented a medical report, claiming that Dikko was critically ill and on admission in London.
But the judge said Akuma had on the last adjourned date, promised to produce his client in court.
She said the address on the medical report (No: N6 Ahmed Musa Crescent Jabi, Abuja) does not support his claim that his client is in a London hospital.
Ojukwu asked the prosecution to set aside the arrest warrant if they find out that Dikko is indeed in a London hospital.
Ojukwu added that if he is not in London, he should be arrested and brought to court on March 16, 2020.
Dikko is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) alongside a former Assistant Comptroller-General of customs in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Mr. Garba Makarfi, and a lawyer, Mr. Umar Hussaini.
ICPC accused Dikko of inducing one Yemi Obadeyi, an Abuja estate developer, to pay the total sum of N1,100, 952,380.96 into the account of Capital Law Office (a company belonging to Hussaini) for the purchase of 120 units of duplexes as residential accommodation for officers of the customs.
In 2017, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recovered 17 exotic vehicles from Dikko’s warehouse in Kaduna.
In November 2019, judge of a Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, ordered the EFCC to discontinue its case against the former customs comptroller-general following the non-prosecution agreement entered into by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Abubakar Malami, and Dikko.
Dikko had reportedly returned N1.5 billion, which is alleged to be proceeds of crime, to the government.
