The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before the close of work on Friday, got a warrant for the arrest of the former governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje.
Goje had been declared wanted by the EFCC, also on Friday, for not honouring the anti-graft agency’s invitation. He is wanted in connection with an alleged mismanagement of N52billion while he was the governor of the state.
The EFCC got the warrant which it had applied for earlier, even before issuing its statement last Friday declaring Goje wanted.
That is not all.
To demonstrate that it can bark and bite – the EFCC has gone ahead to put Goje on the National Security Watch List.
The implication of this latest development is that all the nation’s security agencies (including immigration) would be on the lookout for the former state governor-turned-senator.
Meanwhile, the trio of former Governors Gbenga Daniel (Ogun State), Christopher Alao-Akala (Oyo) and Aliyu Akwe-Doma (Nassarawa), are expected to be arraigned tomorrow before the High Court in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja
At tomorrow’s expected hearing, which would be the first for the three once-upon-a-time men of means and power, the EFCC would slam them with the charges for which they are being held.
They would be arraigned simultaneously.
Newsmen has also been made to understand that the reason they were not allowed to go – and are cooling off at EFCC’s detention centre – is primarily because interrogation was still on-going, preparatory to tomorrow’s arraignment.
But investigations showed that the commission does not want to engage in another wild goose chase of the former governors.
A source inside the EFCC said yesterday “it would not be proper to allow the former governors to go for now. Let the courts see to that tomorrow.
“The real reason is because they could not be arraigned at the weekend before the courts. But more importantly it is for the charges to be read to them, then they would, as usual apply for bail; and at that point, it would be for the courts to determine whether or not the charges against them and the seeming elusiveness that they have demonstrated thus far would guarantee them bail”, the EFCC source explained.
Information suggests that more former state governors would soon find themselves cooling off at the EFCC detention centre on the grounds of graft allegations.
Daniel is expected to explain how he spent N58 billion belonging to Ogun State government while he served; Alao-Akala is being asked how he managed N25 billion in Oyo State; with Doma is to give account of how he appropriated N18 billion.
Goje is facing N52b allegation of misappropriation.
The four former governors are of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.