Edo — Former governor of Edo State, Mr. Lucky Igbinedion, was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday in Lagos. LEADERSHIP gathered that Igbinedion, who reported to the commission's Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, office in Lagos at about 12:50 p.m. with his lawyers, was immediately arrested and railroaded into custody.
The head, media and publicity of EFCC, Mr. Osita Nwajah, told journalists in Abuja yesterday that the former governor is in custody of the commission, undergoing interrogation and would be moved to Abuja, most likely on Wednesday, to face a 142-count charge brought against him.
The former governor returned to the country on Sunday night via Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
He was said to have avoided being charged to court in Abuja yesterday by reporting at the Lagos office of the commission.
EFCC, according to an insider in the commission, had planned to arraign Igbinedion yesterday at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The anti-graft commission had recently declared him wanted, after a Federal High Court issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
He is charged along with three companies - Kiva Corporation Limited, Gava Corporation Limited and Ekpen and Sons Company - for alleged corrupt practices and money laundering.
As earlier planned, a top official of EFCC told LEADERSHIP last night that the commission might not be able to arraign Igbinedion in court today because of the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed chief judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Mustapha Abdullahi, at the Supreme Court.
He said, "The court will not sit tomorrow. The EFCC is prepared for the prosecution. The charges are ready, but as it stands the court process would be delayed.
"But I believe that the former governor will be taken to court on Wednesday, because that is the plan of the commission."
The EFCC says Igbinedion will have to remain in custody until tomorrow, when the court is expected to decide his fate.
Igbinedion, through his lawyer, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim (SAN), had written to the EFCC recently, expressing his readiness to appear before "any agency of government, court or tribunal," to answer to any charges or allegations made against him.
He claims innocence of all the allegations, which according to him, "are being serialised in the Nigerian media" by the EFCC.
Igbinedion is the eighth ex-governor charged with graft since last year when President Umaru Yar'Adua came to power.
He is accused of stealing more than $24m (£12m) through three front companies.
He was a key figure during the election of Yar'Adua.
As the head of the Governor's Forum, he persuaded other state governors to withdraw from the party primaries in 2006, giving Yar'Adua a clear run to the presidency.
Seven other governors have been charged with corruption by the EFCC.
The BBC's Ibrahim Dosara says the warrant shows that EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, is trying to bring people to book before he leaves office next month.
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my university days have come and gone but i can say frankly thay i spent most of the four years that i was suppose to spend in school at home bcos of strikes which arise from non payment of fee to lecturer by igbinedion,i llost most of my friends to accident on their way to school bcos there was no good roads,most project started were never completed,the highest disrespect for the rule of law was witnessed in edo state;not even one new job was created cultism is at its peak in edo state today thanks to lucky and pdp for the guns they gave to us to help them rig election and after the elections the guns were left for us as gifts;and well known killer and hoodlums became government officials,one of this state commitee leader mr obaseki killed somebody and spent a night in the front office of the state cid drinking beer and pepersoup till the next day befroe he went home without being charged,edo state is the most undeveloped state in nigeria thanks to lucky igbenedion and his father;i hope the government of yar adua will give justice to the edo people by sending this bastard to jail no matter how much money he refunds he should also be made to go to jail because he is no less than an armed robber bcos he is armed with the stolen vote and official stealin pen which has the capacity to kill more people than any amunition that an armed robber carries: he was very lucky because his name is lucky that i didnt see him in europe when he was declered wanted bcos i promised myself that i will not only hand him in but hand him in dead and face murder trial if he is not imprisoned for a very long time then the efcc and the nigeria government will amount to nothin but useless
The chickens have come home to roaste.Now it,s time for payback and the people of that poor state demand nothing less than justice. A people,s commonwealth converted to family property is the height of criminality never before seen in the anals of that state.Please,FG, give the people back their property stolen and appropriated by the igbinedion family.lastly,he was not alone,let,s have all those who connived with him to rape the state apprehended and prosecuted.