N1.1bn fraud: Court orders arrest of former Customs boss, Dikko

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, ordered the arrest of Abdullahi Dikko, former Comptroller General (CG) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over a N1,100, 952,380.96 fraud charges.

The court wants Dikko to appear at the next sitting on March 16, 2020.

The order followed his continued failure to appear in court in an alleged corruption and bribery trial.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu turned down the lawyer’s explanation that the defendant was ill and on admission in London.

Dikko’s lawyer, Solomon Akuma, SAN, had presented a medical report before the court.

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But the judge said the medical report bearing the address, N6 Ahmed Musa Crescent, Jabi, Abuja, contradicted Akuma’s claim that the defendant was on admission in London.

Recall that the ICPC in 2019 charged Dikko and two others with inducing the Managing Director of Cambial Limited, Yemi Obadeyi, to pay the sum of N1,100, 952,380.96 into the account of Capital Law Office.

The fund was described as a refundable “completion security deposit” for the purchase of 120 units of duplexes as residential accommodation for officers of the NCS.

The other defendants are former Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Garba Makarfi and a lawyer and promoter of Capital Law firm, Umar Hussaini.