ICPC quizzes ex-NDLEA boss - Over missing N29m, other exhibits - May declare 9 senior officials wanted
By Festus Ojudun - 05.11.2007

THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) may declare nine senior officers of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) wanted over alleged disappearance of 168,400 euro (about N29 million) and other missing currency exhibits in their custody.
This was disclosed to the Nigerian Tribune by an official of the commission, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Former chairman of the NDLEA, Alhaji Bello Lafiagi, was quizzed last Wednesday at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja in connection with the alleged fraud.
He was released on bail pending the time other members of his team while he was in charge of the anti-drug agency would show up at the commission’s headquarters.
While Alhaji Lafiagi honoured the invitation of the commission, nine other officers of the NDLEA invited for interrogation on the matter have refused to show up at the commission’s headquarters despite official letters written to their agencies.
The NDLEA had in October 2005 arrested one Onoche Ikenna in connection with alleged drug peddling and the task force, set up by Alhaji Lafiagi, was mandated to look into the alleged involvement of Ikenna in drug business.
One Samuel Gadzama, head of NDLEA investigations unit and some others, were alleged to have carried out a search at the Lagos home of Ikenna on Friday, October 28, 2005 and in the course of the search, drugs weighing 3.2 kilogrammes and some currencies were allegedly recovered.
It was discovered that in a sharp departure from the normal practice of the NDLEA, Ikenna, who was supposed to have been charged directly from the prison to the court, based on the total kilogrammes of drugs found in his house, was released on bail after five days in detention.
It was alleged in a petition sent to ICPC that Ikenna was not charged to court throughout the tenure of Alhaji Lafiagi as the NDLEA chairman.
It was learnt that the new chairman of NDLEA, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, took the suspect (Ikenna) to court.
At the commencement of the criminal charges preferred against him by NDLEA, Ikenna’s lawyer informed the court that some items removed from the house of his client, especially 168,400 euro, were missing from the exhibit deposed to by NDLEA in the court.
Following this discovery, Ikenna, through his lawyers, wrote a petition to the ICPC notifying the commission of the missing foreign currency and N903,400.
It was based on this petition that ICPC operatives stormed the NDLEA office in Lagos to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the currencies as alleged by Ikenna.
Apart from the former NDLEA boss who has shown up at the ICPC headquarters, other NDLEA operatives linked with the alleged theft include: Usman Amali, an SSS operative who served as a Special Assistant to Alhaji Lafiagi; You. K. Abasi, Femi Oloruntoba, Chief Prosecutor, NDLEA; Ayo Amupitan, and Samuel Gadzama.
Others being investigated and invited by ICPC for questioning are: H. Gagari, I. A. Saba, H. Garuba and Julie Raymond.
Sources at the ICPC headquarters told the Nigerian Tribune that Gadzama had, in his written statement, linked the special assistant to the former chairman of NDLEA to the missing money.
Other officers of the NDLEA in their statements, it was learnt, indicted the former NDLEA boss and his special assistant on the matter and it was also discovered at the NDLEA office in Lagos that Samuel Gadzama had been placed on indefinite suspension by the current management of the anti-drug agency in connection with the missing funds.
Though it has not been officially confirmed, some NDLEA officials who have volunteered information to the ICPC said that the missing funds were allegedly taken by some top management staff of the agency during the tenure of the immediate past administration.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/05112007/news/news2.html

Monkey dey work, Baboon dey chop. Now the Baboons should be in prison for chopping from the monkey

All those (NDLEA)people comes from Tribe wey no like money, but nay dey same tribe steal people money most.
Thief tribe nay Thief tribe any where wey dem dey.