President Muhammadu Buhari is reported to be working on the diplomatic process that will ensure the extradition of suspected looters who have fled the country. This is expected to be high on his agenda when the president opens discussions with his counterparts when about 60 world leaders meet in the United Kingdom next month.
President is expected to use the summit explore ways of extraditing corrupt politicians back to the country to face investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
According the Punch, the outcome of the summit is expected to speed up the extradition of individuals such as: Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro, a former Minister of State for Defence; Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party and a former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force, Abdulrasheed Maina.
Others at large were: Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, the ex-Petroleum Minister and her son, Ugonna; Abdullahi Dikko, a former Comptroller-General of Customs, whose house was raided in Abuja in January by the EFCC.
Also included are a former Senior Political Adviser to ex-President and Coordinator of Goodluck Support Group, Prof. Rufai Alkali, who coordinated the disbursement of N320m allegedly collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria during the 2015 elections and the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, who is being allegedly investigated over $1.1bn Malabu Oil deal.
While Musiliu Obanikoro, believed to be in the United States, is wanted in connection with the alleged payment of N1.45bn to his companies, Muazu is reportedly wanted over disbursement of funds to PDP zonal chairmen. He was reported to be in Singapore.
Former oil minister, Alison-Madueke and her son are being investigated for N2.3bn disbursed to some staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission through Fidelity Bank before the 2015 general elections.
The former minister is reported to be in the UK but the whereabouts of her son is still unknown.
According to a senior government official said, “The Federal Government is determined to bring politicians, who are under investigations, but have fled the country. The summit will afford the EFCC and the Ministry of Justice the opportunity of discussing how those guys will be interrogated for the offences they have allegedly committed.”
The Federal Government and 59 other countries are expected sign crucial agreements on the sanctions to be imposed on corrupt political and public office holders.
International policies expected to be agreed upon includes sanctions such as travel restriction or denial of entry visa into the 60 countries; rejection of requests for political asylum by corrupt political and public office holders; loss of citizenship; non-approval of naturalisation for any accused corrupt person; stoppage of establishment of shell companies abroad; and banning operation of foreign accounts in any of the 60 nations.
