You won't believe it four people surrendered themselves to EFCC

When the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) suspect anyone of corrupt practices, the first step is usually to invite the person for interrogation and questioning.

Most suspects usually refuse to honor this invitation and the EFCC then has to arrest and bring them in for questioning and interrogation.

However in some cases, the suspect surrenders to the EFCC, with sometimes pleasant and unpleasant consequences. Here are some people who have surrendered to the EFCC of their own accord and the outcomes:

1. Musiliu Obanikoro
Senator Musiliu Obanikoro
Former senator, Musiliu Obanikoro, was also a minister of state for defense under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

The EFCC has had him under investigation for a few months for his role in the alleged rigging of the Ekiti elections and the arms deal scandal of the ex-National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki.

He however stayed away from Nigeria until recently. News reports emerged that he returned to Nigeria from his base in the United states and
surrendered to the EFCC in the afternoon of Monday, October 17.

Obanikoro was detained by the EFCC and is yet to be released as at the time of this report.

2. Femi Fani-Kayode

Femi Fani-Kayode
The EFCC sent an invitation to former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode on May 6, 2016 to come to their office to clarify allegations of conspiracy and money laundering.

On the morning of May 9, 2016, Fani-Kayode decided to honour the EFFC’s invitation in the hopes that it would help clarify matters. In a statement which he released, before turning himself in, He said:

“I shall leave my home and go to the EFCC on the morning of 9th May for questioning about the presidential campaign funds.

“I have no fear of this and I look forward to the opportunity of helping the Commission to clarify all the issues that they may wish to raise.”

The EFCC slammed a 17-count charge on him and he was later transferred to Lagos. After weeks in detention, Mr Fani-Kayode was granted a N250 million bail on July 4. He was later released two months after he surrendered himself after meeting the EFCC bail conditions.

3. Ibrahim Shehu Shema

Ibrahim Shema
Ibrahim Shema is the immediate past governor of Katsina State, he was declared wanted by the EFCC for alleged fraud on Wednesday, September 14, 2016. Subsequently the agency sealed three of his houses in Katsina.

Two days later on September 16, he turned himself him in to the anti-corruption agency. His spokesperson, Oluwabusola Olawale said Shema arrived at the EFCC headquarters around 9:3am on Friday.

“He’s a law abiding citizen who has absolutely nothing to fear, and went to submit himself to the EFCC even though the agency has not been fair to him in handling his case,” his spokesman said.

After 15 days in custody, as at September 29, 2016, Shema had not been released, from EFCC custody.

4. Charles Osuala

Charles Osuala
Dr Charles Osuala is the Bayelsa state commissioner for finance, who was declared wanted by the EFCC, for allegedly laundering state funds to the tune of N2.4billion.

The EFCC had said: “By Friday March 19, 2010 when Osuala was yet to honour the invitation, another letter was sent to him while the third was sent to him on
Tuesday, March 23.

“Following his refusal to honour the Commission’s invitation, the Chairman of the EFCC has directed that his name should be put on watch list across Nigerian borders.

“The latest action is a follow up to the initial step of watch listing him while other efforts to fish him out of his hiding continue.

“It will be recalled that the EFCC had since last year launched an investigation into some allegations of diversion of public funds running into billions of naira by some Bayelsa state officials.

“One of such is the diversion of N2.4bn which has been established by investigations and over which charges have been filed against four officials including Osuala who has since gone into hiding.”

He surrendered himself, 19 days later and was detained by the EFCC.