Ex-Nigeria governor turns himself in to Efcc

The former governor of Nigeria’s Adamawa state, Murtala Nyako, has turned himself in for questioning at the country’s anti-graft agency following claims of money laundering, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Nyako, 72, was impeached by lawmakers in the northeast state last year after he announced his defection from the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress party led by Nigeria’s new president, Muhammadu Buhari.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared him wanted earlier this year.

“He reported yesterday (Monday) in our office for questioning. He was allowed to go home around 6:30 pm (1730 GMT). The interrogation continues today (Tuesday),” EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren told AFP.

His interrogation “has to do with financial transactions when he was governor of Adamawa state” from 2008 to his July 2014 impeachment, Uwujaren added.

No further details on the substance of the allegations was given, including whether Nyako was scheduled to be charged in court.

The EFCC was once heralded as an aggressive investigative body making strides to stamp out corruption in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and top economy.

The agency has been criticised in recent years over its failures to secure high-profile convictions and for pursuing so-called small fish, rather than major political heavyweights suspected of graft.

Buhari, who took the oath of office on Friday, has vowed to get tough on corruption, but has not yet discussed his plans for the EFCC.