Money Laundering - EFCC Grills Former Adamawa State Governor Muritala Nyako For 10 Hours

Barely 48 hours after his return to the country from self-exile in Europe, former Adamawa State governor, Alhaji Murtala Nyako, was yesterday quizzed by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over offences bordering on economic crimes. He was grilled by the commission’s operatives for over 10 hours. A reliable source confided in LEADERSHIP that the retired naval officer willingly surrendered himself to the anti-graft agency when he called at the Wuse II, Abuja headquarters of the EFCC yesterday morning. ‘’He is still here with us now (at 5:55pm) undergoing interrogation. He came here at about10am and he is being quizzed by our operatives over alleged infractions when he was governor,’’ the source said.

It can be recalled that the EFCC had, since February this year, declared Nyako and his son, Abdulazeez Murtala-Nyako, wanted after they failed to honour the agency’s previous invitations. EFCC head of media and publicity, Wilson Uwujaren had, in a statement sent to journalists on February, said that Nyako and his son were wanted for economic crimes. “Both are wanted in a case of criminal conspiracy, stealing, abuse of office and money laundering,” he had said then.

The EFCC had also in July 2014 given an indication that it might declare Nyako wanted because he failed to honour the commission’s invitation to answer questions on how money meant for the running of the state were spent.

Uwujaren said then that the commission resorted to declaring Nyako wanted because he had been unreachable since he was impeached from office.

“Since Nyako was removed, he has been elusive. So the Commission has devised a strategy to declare him wanted. The Commission is planning to declare him wanted,” Uwujaren said.

But reacting to the wanted notice, Nyako had then said he was not in the least surprised by the latest turn of events because the present administration had shown a disdain for honest people.

He had left the country quietly and stayed away until the change of government.