Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday invaded the residence of the immediate past Comptroller General of Customs, Abdulahi Dikko, in Abuja.
The EFCC operatives stormed Dikko’s residence with two white Toyota buses marked RSH 555 ABJ and BWA 645 GA at Ahmed Musa Crescent, Jabi, Abuja.
This, it was gathered, was the second time in three days that the EFCC personnel would invade a residence of the former Customs boss as the agency was said to have searched his house at Maitama on Wednesday.
It was learnt that the search might not be unconnected with the Federal Government’s investigation into revenue generating agencies, including Customs and Nigerian Maritime Administration Agency over non-remittance of revenues into government coffers.
A top official of the EFCC confided in Saturday PUNCH that operatives who searched the two houses were specifically directed to look out for a large sums of dollars allegedly kept in the residences.
On Friday, an operational van of the Nigerian Customs Service on guard duty at the resident was sighted a few meters away from the besieged residence.
Our correspondent observed a heavy deployment of security operatives comprising armed riot policemen attached to the EFCC and gun-wielding plainclothes operatives.
Some of the armed operatives took positions at the gate of Dikko’s residence, while their counterparts were discussing in groups. Our correspondent could not confirm whether Dikko was in the residence or not as of the time the EFCC stormed the place.
But a relative of the ex-customs boss, Mohammed Usman, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the EFCC operatives arrived at the residence at about 7am.
He said, “The information I gathered showed that the operatives, numbering about seven, were in the house to carry out search for documents.
“A team of about seven operatives of the EFCC in company with some armed policemen arrived at the residence at about 7am and have been in the house for the past five hours.
“From the information available to me, no search warrant was presented before the commencement of the search. As I speak to you, they are currently in my uncle’s bedroom carrying out the search in his absence.”
Usman faulted the search on the ground that the operation was being carried out in the absence of the former comptroller-general.
“The only people in the house at the commencement of this search and even till now are his children who are below the age of 18,” he said.
The EFCC had also raided the Maitama residence of Dikko for over seven hours on Wednesday.
Investigations revealed that the raid was carried out by operatives drawn from the 27-member strong Task Force set up by the Chairman of the commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu.
The task force is investigating high profile political cases erstwhile being assigned to the Economic Governance Unit.
It was gathered that the EFCC’s operatives stormed the residence of the former Customs CG by 10am and operated in the house till 6pm before leaving.
It was further gathered that the EFCC’s team moved into Dikko’s Maitama residence with sniffer dogs and other high technology equipment for cash detection.
A top operative of the commission confided in our correspondent on Friday that the EFCC stormed the residence because it received intelligence reports that the former Customs boss was hiding large sum of money in six of the rooms of the house in Maitama.
But the operatives toiled with their sniffer dogs and equipment for nine hours without finding a kobo in the residence.
They were said to have combed every available spot with the sniffer dogs and other gadgets from 10am to 7pm without finding any money in the residence.
The source said, “EFCC operatives investigating this arms procurement scandal and other allegations of corrupt practices raided the house of the former Comptroller General of Customs, Abdulahi Dikko.”
Source: Punch
