The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is believed to have secured a warrant of arrest for four officials of Rivers State government an alleged 117 billion suspicious transaction, according to a report in The Nation.
The anti-graft agency is investigating the transaction of the said sum which was supposedly withdrawn over the counter in the last three years.
The EFCC had invited last month invited four officials of the state who were central to the withdrawals.
But Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike said that non of the officials will honour the invitation by the anti-graft agency unless the court of appeal to set aside the 2007 judgment barring the commission from investigating the state.
According to a report in The Nation, EFCC has obtained a court warrant to arrest the officials and may declare them wanted if the move to arrest them fails.
The suspects were alleged to have gone underground following the decision of the state government not to hand them over to the EFCC.
“The EFCC is also now empowered by the law to watch-list these state officials which will make it possible to pick them up in any part of the country and abroad,” the report quoted sources as saying.
“So, we are now on the trail of the affected officials. But, if they remain underground, we may declare them wanted.”
“None of the officials has immunity from arrest, investigation, and prosecution.”
“The reference to a 2007 court order by the Rivers State government is just a desperate attempt to cling at any straw.
“We have records to show that when Governor Nyesom Wike was Chief of Staff at the same Government House, he was invited, interrogated and detained by the EFCC on June 10, 2008.
“As a law-abiding agency, the EFCC will continue to do its work without fear or favour. We will get to the root of the illegal withdrawal of N117 billion in cash and without official records.”