Reps issue arrest warrant on EFCC's acting chairman over Patience Jonathan's petition

The House of Representatives has issued an arrest warrant against the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu.

The warrant was issued on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 by the Committee on Public Petitions for Magu's refusal to appear before it.

It was further gathered that the Committee had severally invited Magu to appear before it on a petition by former first lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan.

The panel, chaired by Hon Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, said that Magu should be arrested and presented before it on November 7, 2017 after his failure to appear before the panel despite several invitations.

Patience Jonathan had some of her accounts frozen by some banks following an investigation launched by the EFCC.

But a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ordered that all the accounts should be unfrozen.

The former first lady consequently sent a petition to the House against the EFCC, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), among others, alleging harassment from them.

At the continuation of sitting on the petition in Abuja, the committee, which gave Magu up to October 4, 2017 to appear, lamented that the EFCC chairman was nonchalant on the matter.

Hon Uzoma Nkem-Abonta said it had sent several letters inviting the EFCC chairman to appear and clear the air on the directive the commission gave some banks to freeze Mrs Jonathan’s accounts.

A member of the committee, Rep Kingsley Chinda ( PDP-Rivers), consequently moved that a bench warrant be issued against Magu to appear before the panel on the next adjourned date.

ALSO READ: Reps ask banks to unfreeze Patience Jonathan's accounts

All the members of the committee present at the sitting supported the motion.

The chairman of the committee then ruled that a bench warrant be issued against Magu.

Meanwhile, the committee directed Mrs Jonathan’s lawyers to sit with the managements of Zenith Bank, Eco Bank, First Bank and Fidelity Bank to address the issue of the court order asking the banks to unfreeze her accounts.

The committee also discharged Union Bank as it fully complied with an earlier directive to unfreeze Mrs Jonathan’s accounts.