…as ICPC claims not to know his whereabouts
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, dismissed a case of fraud brought against a former Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Inde Dikko and two others by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Commission.
In her ruling, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, dismissed the charge against Dikko marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/21/2019 following the oral application by ICPC’s lawyer, E. A. Sogunle to withdraw the charge under Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
Sogunle told the court that in spite of a bench warrant issued on Dikko, who has not appeared before the court since the charge was filed early last year, the prosecution had not been able to arrest the former Customs boss and produce him in court.
Dikko was charged along with two others – a former Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Garba Makarfi, and Umar Hussaini, a lawyer – as defendants.
The former Customs boss, Makarfi and Hussaini were, among others, accused of inducing the Managing Director of Cambial Limited, Yemi Obadeyi, to pay N1.1 billion (N1,100, 952,380.96) into the account of Capital Law Office as a refundable “completion security deposit” for the purchase of 120 units of duplexes as residential accommodation for officers of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Hussaini was said to have distributed the money into various other bank accounts and for his part in the deal, he was rewarded with the sum of $3 million.