By Gbenga Ogundare
Reports reaching National Daily Newspaper indicate that officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Friday morning stormed the residence of the immediate past Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Inde Abdullahi.
Abdullahi, who voluntarily resigned his appointment few months into the current administration is being held hostage inside his residence located along Ahmed Musa Street, Jabi, Abuja.
Weeks before his resignation at the Customs, he was dragged before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, by a pressure group identified as the Nigerian Customs Transparency Initiative, NCTI. The group called on the anti-graft agency, to among other things, probe the former Comptroller General of the NCS, Alhaji Abdullahi Inde Dikko, over allegations of abuse of office and that the NCS leadership should account for the alleged disappearance of some containers and the N3.5 billion incurred on the installation of Internet facility by the Customs Service.
NCTI, in the petition signed by one Dr. James Onoja, requested ICPC to probe some infractions allegedly committed by the Service, which include contravention of the Public Service Rule 070318, manipulation of promotions, high-handedness, inflation of purchase of BMW cars for senior officials and alleged spending of N3.5 billion on Internet project.
Shortly before the inauguration of president Buhari last May, news has it that Dikko visited Buhari’s residence in Daura to pay homage. This newspaper learnt that the customs boss, who coincidentally hails from Musawa Local Government Area of Katsina state, immediately after informing the President-Elect of his mission was advised to go back to his duty post.
Dikko, shocked by Buhari’s response, tried unsuccessfully to inform the retired General of the situation at all Nigeria’s borders, seaport and the airports, but the President-elect upbraided the 55 year-old that the ideal procedure is to wait until he has been sworn in as president, describing the visit as unhealthy, unethical and disloyalty to a government he is still serving.
He thereafter asked the customs boss to leave his residence, rejecting also his gift items.The Comptroller general and his team hurriedly left the residence, parking the valuables and gifts items along.
With the house arrest, Dikko might not be as lucky as another former customs boss, Da Buba Gyang, who wangled his way out of probe by the National Assembly for similar unwholesome infractions while in service.