The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday night arrested a former military governor of Kaduna State and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Lawal Jafaru Isa.
Mr. Isa is the first chieftain of the APC arrested by the EFCC since the beginning of a sweeping probe into the alleged diversion of $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase by officials of the immediate-past administration.
Mr. Isa, Military Administrator of Kaduna State from December 1993 to August 1996 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha and one-time governorship candidate of the defunct CPC in Kano State, is a close friend of the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
Mr. Isa, also a close political associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, was arrested at his Abuja residence located at Ajayi Crowther Street, Asokoro.
A witness told PREMIUM TIMES that operatives of the anti-graft commission invaded his residence around 9pm, and then whisked him away a few minutes later.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr. Isa, a retired brigadier general, was invited last week to appear before the commission on Wednesday (yesterday) to clear the air on “some questionable receipts” from the former NSA.
Investigators believe the retired soldier received over N100million from Mr. Dasuki.
Rather than honouring the invitation, sources said, Mr. Isa wrote a letter to the EFCC through his lawyer, seeking a postponement of his appearance date on the grounds of death of a relative.
Apparently dissatisfied with his excuse, the EFCC however arrested him to clarify the “questionable receipts”.
The spokesperson of the EFCC, Wilson Ujuwaren, could not be reached Thursday morning for comments on the arrest.
But a top official of the commission confirmed the development.
”He has been wasting our time, and we just have to pick him up for our investigation to continue,” the official said.
