The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has ordered an arrest warrant to be issued against the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu.
Magu is to be brought before the Committee on November 7 to answer questions in connection with a petition sent to it by Dame Patience, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The former First Lady had petitioned the House alleging harassment of her person and firms linked to her associates by the EFCC, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) adding that her personal bank accounts and those of the firms had been frozen on the directive of the EFCC.
However, the panel chaired by Mr. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta said on Wednesday that Magu had shunned “several invitations” to appear in connection with the matter but the NDLEA and FIRS had been appearing before the panel to respond to the petition.
The panel had earlier adjourned till Wednesday expecting that Magu would honour its invitation, but he failed. Besides, the Commission did not also send any representative to the session.
After a motion on arrest warrant moved by the Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts Mr. Kingsley Chinda, the panel passed a resolution for Magu’s arrest.
However, the committee also ordered all the companies linked to Jonathan’s wife to submit their statements of audited accounts to the FIRS within two weeks, to afford the FIRS the opportunity to assess them for tax payment and ascertain the level of tax compliance since they started operations.
The Committee had also summoned eight banks over the freezing of the accounts of Dame Patience and her companies by the EFCC.
The banks, Fidelity Bank; Ecobank; Union Bank; Skye Bank; Diamond Bank; First Bank; Zenith Bank; and Stanbic Bank, explained that while it was true that Dame Patience secured court orders releasing a some of the accounts, the EFCC also appealed the court decisions.
The panel later resolved that the banks and Dame Patience’s lawyers should hold a reconciliation meeting to determine the accounts that were frozen on court directives, and those that had no legal issues.