Petitions against the former Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs, Abdullahi Inde Dikko to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC) by a pressure group might have been the reason the EFCC swooped on the home of the former Customs boss yesterday.
The EFCC drafted about seven of its operatives as early as 7am to the home of Dikko on No. 6, Ahmed Musa Street, Jabi, Abuja, possibly for his arrest.
But because the former Customs chief was not at home during the visit, the operatives including armed policemen took time to search every apartment and corner of his home for hours.
Towards the end of Dikko’s tenure in office, there were allegations of impropriety against him by bodies alleging that he did not manage the Customs transparently.
One of the bodies, the Nigerian Customs Transparency Initiative (NCTI) had sent a written complaint to the ICPC and the EFCC, alleging abuse of office against Dikko and also that some containers disappeared from some port terminals without trace.
Moreover, NCTI claimed that the conditions on which the Customs under Dikko’s supervision spent N3.5b to upgrade the Service’s Internet facilities were not clean and must be probed.
According to a member of Dikko’s family, Mohammed Usman, “EFCC called very early in the morning and the man they were there to catch was not at home.
“Until noon, the EFCC operatives that swooped on the former Customs chief were still lurking around with some armed policemen possibly to avoid an altercation as customs men also guard Dikko’s premises.
“They were about seven EFCC operatives that visited Dikko’s home for a possible arrest but they later resorted to searching his premises for anything of value to their mission”.
Another report source indicated that: “A team of about seven operatives of the EFCC in company with some armed policemen arrived at the residence at 7am and have been in the house in the past five hours. One of his family members found at the premises however claimed that the EFCC men and police never showed any order for either search or his arrest.
“They did not show us any order either from the court or otherwise for the search, and they had access to everywhere including the rooms in Dikko’s absence”.
The family member also noted that the search would not have been lawful as the team never showed any document empowering them to raid Dikko’s home and even when he was not around.
While Dikko was about ending his tenure last year, the former Customs boss who was associated with major reforms and increased revenue to the Federal Government came under heavy scrutiny over how he managed the office.
At a point after the presidential election in April, Dikko was rumoured to have paid a botched visit to the president-elect in Daura, Katsina State.
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