Drama:How Bankole was arrested!

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, (second right) with operatives of the EFCC on arrival at the commission’s office in Abuja ... on Sunday.

The game of wits the former speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, played with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ended on Sunday night with his arrest in Abuja.

Bankole arriving at the EFCC this evening

He was picked up at his Asokoro, Abuja residence, where he had been hiding since Thursday by a team of EFCC operatives who had kept surveillance at the building.


Bankole had resisted arrest by the operatives last Friday, promising to turn himself in by 2pm today after allegedly making frantic telephone calls to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim.

Bankole exit the EFCC cruiser

Our correspondent learnt that before he was apprehended by about 10 EFCC opeartives in a room where he had locked up himself, his police orderlies had been withdrawn.


The operatives led by the commission’s Director of Operations, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, were said to have tried for several hours before gaining entry into the room.


Bankole was evetually arrested around 8.20pm and was immediately taken in a Toyota Corolla to the EFCC headquarters in Wuse area of Abuja. He wore a pair of cream chinos trousers and a black T-shirt.


The former speaker looked downcast and did not speak to anybody as he was whisked into the EFCC premises and into a cell with only a small mattress.


EFCC spokesman, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed the development said Bankole had resisted arrest for over four hours.


Babafemi said, “The EFCC Chairman, Mrs Farida Waziri was compelled to order the immediate arrest of Mr. Bankole after analysing an intelligence report which showed that he was planning to leave Abuja for Lagos on Sunday evening and thereafter flee the country through an illegal route.


“While our men kept surveillance around the former speaker hoping he will honour his promise to report on Monday, a fresh intelligence gathered by the commission showed that Mr Bankole was not ready to keep his promise but was rather planning other schemes to escape from the country through an illegal route or obtain a restraining court order early on Monday to prevent the commission from effecting his arrest or prosecution.”


Bankole’s problems began when some youths wrote to the EFCC, Chairman, Mrs Farida Waziri, urging her to probe Bankole on the series of scams rocking the House.


Specifically, the youths under the aegis of , Youth Anti-Corruption League, called on the EFCC to investigate Bankole’s roles in the N10bn loan and N2.3bn car scams that rocked the House as well as the mismanagement of the N9bn capital budget of the House for 2008/2009.


The placard-carrying youths also appealed to the EFCC chairman to enforce the anti-corruption policy of the government by arresting and prosecuting Bankole.


Spokesman for the youths, Mr. Jumoke Ilyasu, said Bankole must be made to account for his excesses.


“The EFCC must not allow the Nigerian people to believe that certain category of Nigerians were above the law,” he said.


Acting on the petition, Waziri ordered investigations into the allegations and consequently raised a five-man team to quiz the Speaker.


Two invitations were extended to the former speaker by the anti-graft agency. But twice he failed to turn up leading to the failed attempt by agents of the commission to arrest him on Friday.


The probe into the N2.3bn car scam had been concluded and the findings sent to the Presidency rather than making it public.


The lid on the N10bn loan had blown open by a member of the House, Mr. Dino Melaye, who claimed that was taken by the House leadership without the consent and approval of lawmakers.


Melaye, who was one of the 11 lawmakers that were earlier suspended, said a commercial bank withheld the second quarter allocation of House because of the loan.


“Though the Central Bank of Nigeria duly released the statutory allocation for the payment of allowances for the members, the bank holds onto our money because of the indebtedness,”he said.


The lawmaker added that Bankole had also been unable to account for the accumulated allowances of the 11 suspended, but readmitted, members of the House.

SOURCE: