Jigawa State Governor's son arrested with $50,000

    Written by  Kola Oyelere and Adamu Amadu
    Thursday, 13 December 2012 00:00
  
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), on Tuesday night, arrested Alhaji Aminu Sule Lamido, the eldest son of the Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, over allegation of money laundering.

Aminu was said to have been nabbed by EFCC operatives while waiting to board an Egypt Airline to Cairo, as he was caught in possession of $40,000 (about N7.5 million) above to the authorised $10,000 allowed while on a foreign trip.

The spokesman for  EFCC, Wilson Uwajaren, confirmed that Aminu was in custody.

Uwajaren said when Aminu had declared $10,000, ading that after interrogation, additional $40,000 was found on him, making the whole foreign currency on him to be $50,000.

He added that the commission would announce appropriate date for his arraignment.

Efforts by the Nigerian Tribune to get comments from the state government failed, as the state Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Babandi Gumel, did not respond to calls and text messages sent to his phone.

Also, opposition parties in the state declined to comment over arrest of the governor’s son.

Reports from the state indicated that the commissioner, media aide to the governor and many top government officials had switched off their handsets, in order to avoid journalists.

Commenting on the matter, a former member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Nasuru Garba Dantiye, said he was not in any way surprised by the arrest, adding that “the EFCC should also invite government officials for interrogation.”