The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday night arrested a former Military Governor of Kaduna State and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Lawal Jafaru Isa.
Isa is the first chieftain of the APC to be arrested by the EFCC since the beginning of a sweeping probe into the alleged diversion of $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase by officials of the immediate past administration.
Isa, Military Administrator of Kaduna State from December 1993 to August 1996 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha, and one-time governorship candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change in Kano State, is a close friend of the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
Isa, also a close political associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, was arrested at his Abuja residence located at Ajayi Crowther Street, Asokoro, Abuja. It was learnt that operatives of the anti-graft commission invaded his residence around 9pm, and whisked him away a few minutes later. Isa, a retired brigadier general, was invited last week to appear before the commission on Wednesday to clear the air on “some questionable receipts” from the former NSA.
The EFCC is currently investigating an allegation that Isa received over N100million from Dasuki. Rather than honour the EFCC invitation, sources said Isa wrote a letter to the antigraft agency through his lawyer, seeking a postponement of his appearance date on the grounds of death of a relative. Apparently dissatisfied with his excuse, the EFCC later arrested him to clarify the “questionable receipts”.
The spokesperson of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Ujuwaren, could not be reached on Thursday morning for comments on the arrest. But a top official of the commission confirmed the development. “He had been wasting our time, and we just had to pick him up for our investigation to continue,” the official said.