Court Strikes Out Charges Against Ex-Customs, Boss Dikko

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday dismissed a charge of fraud against former Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Abdullahi Inde Dikko and two others by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC.

The court in a ruling by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, dismissed the charge in view of the oral application by ICPC’s lawyer, E. A. Sogunle to withdraw the charge under Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

Sogunle told the court that despite a bench warrant issued on Dikko, the prosecution has not been able to arrest him and produce him in court since the charge was filed in 2019.

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Dikko and two others, a former Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Garba Makarfi and Umar Hussaini, a lawyer and owner of Capital Law firm were named as defendants.

Dikko, Makarfi and Hussaini were accused of inducing the Managing Director of Cambial Limited, Yemi Obadeyi, to pay N1.1 billion (N1,100, 952,380.96) into the account of Capital Law Office as a refundable “completion security deposit” for the purchase of 120 units of duplexes as residential accommodation for officers of the Nigeria Customs Service.

Hussaini was said to have distributed the money into various other bank accounts.