The Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday ordered the arrest of the sacked Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ayodele Oke, and his wife, Folashade.
Justice C.J. Aneke said the couple should be arrested anywhere they were sighted and brought before him.
The judge gave the order following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The EFCC had charged the couple before the court in connection with the sums of $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000 (totalling N13bn) it recovered from Flat 7B Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos linked to the couple.
The prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the judge that the anti-graft agency had difficulty locating the ex-NIA DG and his wife.
He said EFCC operatives had gone to look for them at all their known addresses to serve them with the charge sheet, but the couple was nowhere to be found.
The judge gave the prosecutor 24 hours to bring a proper application for the couple’s arrest.
Applying for a bench warrant against the Okes on Thursday, the prosecutor said, “In the course of investigation, the defendants provided an address in their statements. We have gone to that address but we didn’t find them. The security confirmed they lived there. We also made repeated calls to their numbers, but they chose not to pick our calls.
“Section 114 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act empowers Your Lordship to do so. We’re ready to produce them if we obtain the order.”
Granting the application, Justice Aneke held, “Consequent upon the difficulties encountered by the prosecution in having them appear before the honourable court to stand their trial, I am convinced that the application is not without merit.
“In the circumstances, I hereby accordingly issue an order of warrant of arrest against the first defendant in accordance with Section 114 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.”
The judge adjourned till March 8, 2019 for the defendants to be produced before him for their arraignment.
