Magu seeks UK agency’s help to extradite Diezani, others

The EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu has sought the assistance of UK’s National Crime Agency to recover looted funds and also extradite back to Nigeria Politically Exposed Persons, such as Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Diezani, who was oil minister between 2011-2015, has been on the EFCC radar for several years, since the Jonathan administration was ousted in the election of 2015.

In 2017, a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the final forfeiture of N7.6 billion loot recovered by the Commission from Diezani. The order of final forfeiture to the Federal Government was granted by Justice Abdulazeez Anka.

“Having waited for three years, the Nigerian government believes that it is time to initiate the extradition process,” Magu told the NCA officials on Thursday.

According to a statement by EFCC on Friday, the anti-graft agency is bent on extraditing all PEPs.

Magu also reportedly discussed with NCA the efforts of the Commission in the recovering of all ill-gotten assets domiciled in foreign jurisdiction by Nigerian’s Politically Exposed Persons, PEPs.

The NCA is a national law enforcement agency in the United Kingdom. It was established in 2013 as a non-ministerial government department, replacing the Serious Organised Crime Agency, SOCA, and absorbing the formerly separate Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre as one of its commands.

Outside Diezani, there are several other PEPs who have fled into exile since 2015 when the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came on board in May 2015.