Former Nigeria Intelligence Chief, Ayodele Oke, Wife, Declared Wanted By EFCC
Adetokunbo Fakeye
London, March 24, 2019 (AltAfrica)-A former Director General of National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Ayodele Oke and his wife, Folashade have been declared wanted by the EFCC for failure to answer Fraud charges filed against them.
Justice Chukwujeku Aneke of a Federal High Court Lagos, had on February 7, 2019 issued an arrest warrant on them, consequent upon an oral application by counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo.
Oke and his wife, according to EFCC spokesman, Tony Orilade, are wanted in connection with the $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000 cash recovered by the EFCC from an apartment at Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, in April 2017.
They are facing a four-count charge bordering on money laundering offence to the tune of N13 billion.
One of the counts against them reads: “That you, Amb. Ayodele Oke and Mrs. Folasade Ayodele Oke between 25th day of August 2015 and 2nd day of September 2015 in Lagos, with in the jurisdiction of this court directly converted $160,777,136.85 property of the Federal Government of Nigeria to your own use which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act”.
A Federal High Court in Lagos in February ordered the arrest of the former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Director-General, Ambassador Ayodele Oke, and his wife, Folasade.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke made the order following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, at the sitting told Justice Aneke that the defendants could not be found.
He said the couple also refused to pick calls from EFCC operatives.
“I have carefully considered the oral application for the arrest of the person mentioned herein and I am convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the said application is meritorious.
“Accordingly the application is hereby granted as prayed
“It is hereby ordered that Ambassador Ayedele Oke and wife, Folasade Oke, be arrested anywhere they are been sighted in world.
“This application is not without merit”, the judge ruled.
