Barely two weeks after confirming moves by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to extradite former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, acting Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Magu has met with UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to kick-start the process.
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An EFCC statement disclosed that Magu’s meeting with the UK officials on Thursday, November 22, 2018, also dwelt on the Commission’s efforts to recover all ill-gotten assets stashed in foreign jurisdiction by Nigeria’s Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs).
According to the statement: “Outside the recovery of assets, the EFCC boss in the course of the high power meeting with officials of the NCA will also present the Commission’s position on ways to fast-track the extradition of all PEPs who have found safe havens in foreign jurisdiction.”
Aside from the former petroleum minister, EFCC claimed several other politically exposed persons have fled the country since May 2015 when the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came into office.
The statement explained the resolve of the anti-graft agency to extradite all PEPs.
“For instance, speaking on the former minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, whose process of extradition from the UK has commenced, Magu explained that having waited for three years, the Nigerian government believes that it is time to initiate the extradition process,” the statement added.
A Federal High Court in Lagos in 2017 ordered the final forfeiture of N7.6 billion alleged loot recovered by the Commission from the beleaguered former minister.