Nnamani In Hospital, Arrested By Efcc

Nnamani in hospital, arrested by EFCC
By Oma Djebah, 07.15.2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007

Operatives of the  Economic and Finan-cial Crimes Commi-ssion (EFCC) yesterday traced  former Enugu State governor, Dr Chimaroke  Nnamani to the National Hospital  in Abuja and immediately put him under  arrest in the hospital. This latest development brings to an end days of uncertainty over the whereabouts of the   ex-governor.


THISDAY checks reveal that it was in the course of the anti-graft agency’s search for the former Governor’s actual whereabouts that he was traced to the Hospital in Abuja where the latter  had  allegedly gone for  medical attention.

Said the source: “Yes, we have been able to locate his whereabouts. He (Nna-mani) is in a hospital in Abuja. That is where we have traced him to and the place has been secured. Operatives have taken charge of the place and put him under watch. The hospital has been secured so that no one can play funny…”

Investigations further reveal that the EFCC may proceed to file charges of corruption and abuse of office against Nnamani just as charges have been filed against some of his former governor colleagues like ex-Governors Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia) and Saminu Turaki (Jigawa.)  The EFCC on Friday in Abuja arraigned Dariye, Turaki and Kalu before two federal High Courts in Abuja, for laundering funds totaling N40 billion. The Federal High Court had remanded the three ex-governors in the custody of the EFCC until the commencement of the trio their trial.

The EFCC had on Wednesday threatened to declare Nnamani a  wanted person  should his whereabout remain unknown to the Commission as at today. “We are currently on the trail of former Governor Nnamani…and if we do not get him, he will be declared  wanted”, the EFCC source had declared.

But Nnamani had  in a swift reaction waved aside  the insinuation  that he was on the run to avoid possible arrest by the EFCC. Speaking with THISDAY on telephone on Friday, the ex-governor and head of the Ebeano political family in Enugu state had maintained that he was not on the run and was willing to meet with officials of the anti-graft agency. But the former governor did not, however state, his whereabouts, a fact which further fuelled apprehension that he may have deliberately refused to disclose his movement.

Nnamani in the interview with THISDAY said: "I'm still very much in Abuja. Why should I run away? I returned to the country on my own accord. My hands are clean, I'm prepared to respond to any query from the EFCC. I just want Nigerians to know that I'm very much in the country."

While still serving as governor of Enugu state,the EFCC had  named Nnamani, in a N5,411,730,026 money laundering suit that it instituted against four officials of the then Enugu State Government before the Federal High Court in Lagos. The four officials as they were then called are - the state Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Peter Mbah, a consultant to the state government, Mr. Victor Udeh, the state Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Sam Ejiofor and the state Accountant-General, Mr. Chika Ohaa. They were all given a 29 count charges by the anti-graft body and were accused of concealing the origin of a   N5.4bn illegal withdrawal that formed part of the statutory allocation to the state local government's funds. The accused were also alleged to have collaborated with Nnamani to perpetrate acts of money laundering contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2003.

The charge sheet dated January 22 was signed by Mr. S.K. Atteh, on behalf of the chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu. A copy of the charge sheet with the suit No FHC/L/09C/07 was made available to journalists. Nnamani could not be prosecuted then because he enjoyed immunity as governor.