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| Olufemi Thomas |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has
finalized plans to declare former Executive Director of National Health
Insurance Scheme, Olufemi Thomas, over a US$2.1 million (about N413million)
suspected money laundering case. A source at the
commission said the EFCC has been on the trail of the former NHIS boss for
weeks after a Bureau De Change operator, Ibiteye Bamidele, named him as
the owner of a US$2,198,900 cash, recovered from him by men of the National
Drug Law Enforcement Agency. Mr. Bamidele was arrested
on July 3 at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, by officials of the NDLEA. He was then handed over
to the EFCC on July 8, for further investigation.
After Mr. Bamidele named
the health insurance boss as the owner of the money, all efforts by the
anti-graft agency to locate Mr. Thomas has been futile.
PREMIUM TIMES report continues:
EFCC operatives, our
source said, have combed every address associated with the suspect, including
his known addresses in Lagos and Abuja.
Efforts were also made to
locate him at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in Lagos but that was also
not successful.
The spokesperson for the
EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the intensive search for Mr. Thomas, and the
plan to declare him wanted.
He also urged anyone with
information on the whereabouts of Mr. Thomas to contact the commission or the
nearest police station.
Mr. Thomas was sacked as CEO of the NHIS
on April 28, 2015 by then President Goodluck Jonathan and replaced by Olufemi
Akingbade.
The real reason for his sudden removal
remained unknown.
The NDLEA had intercepted
Mr. Bamidele, the Bureau De Change operator, while he was carrying US$2,198,900
at the domestic wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos.
The suspect, 46, was
apprehended on his way to Abuja, the NDLEA said.
“Preliminary
investigation conducted by the Assets and Financial Investigation Directorate
of the NDLEA revealed that Ibiteye’s action is in contravention of the money
laundering prohibition act 2011 as amended,” the anti-narcotics agency said in
the statement by Mitchell Ofoyeju, its spokesperson.
“He alleged that the
money belongs to one Dr. Martins Olufemi Thomas, a medical practitioner in
Lagos. Investigation conducted by the Agency did not link the money to proceeds
of narcotics.
“However, a country
having insurgency challenge cannot afford to ignore suspicious movement of
large amount of money.”
In his statement to the
NDLEA, before he was handed over to the EFCC, Mr. Ibiteye said that he is a
Bureau De Change operator.
“I used to work for Ebi
Bureau De Change at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja before I
established my company with the name ND&C Global Investment Limited which
is yet to be fully registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC),” he
said.
“One of my clients, Dr.
Martins Olufemi Thomas gave me the said amount to take to Abuja. I was arrested
by NDLEA officers while checking in the money at MM2 on my way to Abuja.”
Ahmadu Giade, NDLEA
Chairman, then handed over the suspect and the cash to the EFCC for further
action.
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