ABUJA — THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, failed to free the Chairman of Daar Communications Plc, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, after meeting his bail conditions.
One of the conditions was for the media mogul to surrender his travel documents to the EFCC and produce two directors in the Federal Civil Service as sureties, a condition he met earlier today, according to his lawyers.
His lawyer, Mr. Mike Ozekhome, said they were shocked to be told that the agency had secured a holding warrant from a magistrate’s court to keep his client in detention after perfecting his bail conditions.
“We got the two sureties today (yesterday) and we were ready to meet all the bail conditions before the EFCC told us they were able to get a holding charge warrant from a magistrate.”
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, said a magistrate has no powers to issue a holding charge warrant.
He also said neither Chief Dokpesi nor himself had been made aware of any charges yet.
“We are yet to know the charges levelled against Chief Dokpesi and he himself has told me that no charges were preferred against him,” he said.
Vanguard learned last night, that apart from Daar Communications boss, Chief Raymond Dokpesi; former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda and former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, there were many other key suspects detained in EFCC cells in connection with the $2
billion arms deal.
It was learnt that while some of the suspects such as Shuaibu Salihu, who was Director of Finance in the office of the National Security Adviser and 19 others had been in detention for over a week, Dokpesi, Bafarawa and Yuguda joined the suspects only this week.
By law, they are expected to be released or charged to court within 48 hours.
Mindful of the position of the law, a top source in the commission told Vanguard last night that the agency might approach a court to seek an order to further detain the high profile suspects.
“The aim is to give them time to speak out on why they received huge public funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, and what such curious payments were meant for, especially as the recipients are not security men or security contractors,” a source said.
Some willing to refund the money
It was also gathered from competent sources in the commission that some of the suspects had made very useful statements to the operatives and were willing to refund the money said to have been obtained by them from the ONSA.
They were said to have admitted that the money was given to them for ‘security reasons’ but did not explain what aspect of security work they did for the nation and who appointed them for the roles.
The man at the centre of paying out the amount to the detained beneficiaries, Sambo Dasuki, was reportedly not willing to speak to the DSS operatives.
He was said to have insisted that he would only speak in the presence of his legal team headed by a former NBA president, who was making frantic efforts to reach him at press time.
DSS moves Dasuki to EFCC headquarters
The Department of State Services (DSS) has, however, moved Dasuki to the headquarters of the EFCC. He was picked up by the operatives of DSS, yesterday, after laying siege to his residence for about a month and restricted his movement.
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court in Abuja will sit tomorrow December 3, 2015 for the hearing of the motion filed by the Federal Government seeking to revoke the bail granted Dasuki.
At the last resumed hearing of the suit, lawyer to the Federal Government, Mr Mohammed Diri, told the court that a notice of appeal has been lodged at the Court of Appeal challenging the judgment of the court granting bail to the former National Security Adviser.
Dasuki, who had pleaded not guilty to previous charges of alleged illegal possession of firearms and money-laundering preferred against him by the DSS had earlier been granted bail by a Federal High Court to enable him seek medical attention.
Dokpesi trying to perfect condition for his release – Son
Meanwhile, Dokpesi as at last night was still trying to perfect conditions for his release.
A statement issued last night by Dokpesi’s son, Raymond Dokpesi Jnr, explaining how his father was invited to the EFCC headquarters said:
“On Monday, November 30, 2015 whilst attending the 70th birthday celebration of former minister and PDP stalwart, Professor Jerry Gana, the Chairman Emeritus of DAAR Communications Plc received a telephone call from the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, inviting him to visit the EFCC headquarters to provide some clarifications and documentation regarding some transactions
involving the Office of the erstwhile NSA during the 2015 Presidential election campaigns.
“On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 around 2.00pm, High Chief Aleogho Dokpesi honoured the verbal telephone invitation and voluntarily drove himself to the EFCC headquarters in company of his son, Raymond Dokpesi Jr and a legal
representative of the Chambers of Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, in the person of Mr Justin Omogbemeh.
“It is pertinent to state that contrary to news reports, he wasn’t arrested nor was he even formally invited, as there is no letter of invitation. At the commission, he was requested to shed light on some payments that were
made to him through the office of the erstwhile
National Security Adviser to the former President, Mallam Sambo Dasuki.
“High Chief Aleogho Dokpesi made his statement on the various media exposures and campaign transactions which were dutifully carried out across most broadcast, print and social media in and outside Nigeria.
“Surprisingly, rather than being allowed to go home a free man or at most on administrative bail in self recognizance, High Chief Dokpesi was kept by the EFCC operatives, with onerous bail conditions imposed for his release. It is these conditions that we are now attempting to perfect
for his immediate release.”
DSS ejects Col. Are from Lagos home
Meanwhile, no fewer than 20 operatives of the DSS, yesterday stormed the Lagos residence of DSS former Director General, Kayode Are and forcefully ejected him and his family.
Vanguard gathered that the operatives stormed his Alexander Road, Ikoyi residence in three buses, and when the family refused to open the door, they broke down the doors
and windows and forcefully gained access.
They did not produce any legal document backing up
their action.
Areh had been ordered to vacate the house by December but he got a court injunction restraining the DSS from evicting him.
Following the forceful eviction by 7.30pm, three cars carrying some of Are’s property left the compound.
A family source said on the invasion: “It was around 12.30pm when they struck. Mrs. Are had just come back from
the hospital. We saw them from the window and she asked them who they were but they refused to identify themselves.
“She went and locked the door and the next thing they did was to break our doors and windows.
“They first told us that they will take all of us to Abuja but we refused their moves and they seized all our phones.
Col Are wasn’t around as at then.
“When he came back, they were pleading with him that they were only obeying orders.
Meanwhile, they did not allow us to go out and also prevented people from coming in to help us.”
The operatives also harassed Vanguard reporters, Esther
Onyegbula and Akeem Salau, as well as THISDAY Crime reporter, Chiemelie Ezeobi seizing their phones immediately they realised they were journalists.
After the initial questioning which led to them refusing the three journalists from entering the compound, one of the operatives called back the journalists and seized their phones.
A female operative tried to go through the phones to ensure no pictures were taken.
A senior operative later ordered her to release the phones to the reporters and escorted them out.
We’ll never be intimidated — Fani-Kayode
Meanwhile, former spokesperson of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Presidential Campaign Organization, Chief Femi
Fani -Kayode has condemned the arrest of Dasuki, Dokpesi, and the invasion of the home of Colonel Kayode Are,former Director General of DSS during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, saying that such moves can never intimidate those in opposition.
Fani-Kayode, who took a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, described it as unforgiving, petty, unjust, vindictive in nature and above all, not God-fearing, warning that if he continues the way he was presently, Buhari runs the risk of provoking the wrath of
God.
According to him, rather than terrorize the people of Nigeria, the President should save his terror waves and gestapo tactics for Boko Haram.
In a statement made available to newsmen, yesterday, in Abuja, Fani- Kayode said President Buhari-led government
was playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette with a loaded gun, warning that if not properly handled and careful in the handling of the affairs of the country,
the gun would soon explode.
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