Court Issues Bench Warrant To Arrest Of Fmr. Customs Comptroller General Abdullahi Dikko
The Federal High Court in Abuja today issued a bench warrant to arrest the former Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Abdullahi Dikko.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu issued the bench warrant against him for Dikko’s continued absence in court in respect of corruption charges instituted against him and two others by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission.
Justice Ojukwu in issuing the bench warrant, refused to accept his lawyer’s explanation that the defendant was ill and on admission in London.
Dikko’s lawyer, Solomon Akuma (SAN), who had previously undertaken to produce him in court, only presented a medical report, in a bid to justify his absence from court on Monday.
Justice Ojukwu pointed out that Dikko’s address, as shown on the medical report presented by his lawyer, No 6 Amhed Musa Crescent Jabi, Abuja did not support his lawyer’s claim that Dikko was on admission in a London hospital.
However, the judge, stated that should the prosecution, in executing the bench warrant discovers that Dikko is actually on admission in a London hospital, the execution shall be suspended, otherwise, the prosecution should arrest Dikko and produce him in court on March 16, 2020, the next adjourned date for arraignment.
In the charge marked: “FHC/ABJ/CR/21/2019, Dikko is named 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 and owner of Capital Law firm – as defendants.
Dikko, Makarfi and Hussaini are, 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 NCS .
Hussaini was said to have deposited the money into other bank accounts and for his part in the deal, he was said to have been rewarded with the sum of $3 million.
