EFCC arrests ex-Plateau speaker, 14 former lawmakers for ‘fleeing with official cars’

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Moses Thomas Sule, former speaker of the Plateau house of assembly, and 14 ex-members of the state’s legislature, for “abuse of procurement processes”. 

The 14 former lawmakers are Gwottson Fom, Sani Abubakar, Jwe Philip Gwom, Thomas Dantong, Happiness Mathew Akawu, Cornelius Dotyok and Agbalak Ibrahim.

Others are Danjuma Azi, Fwangje Bala Ndat, Salome Tanimu Wanglet, Namba Rimuyat, Nimchak Rims, Ishaku Maren and Paul Datugun.

A statement issued on Wednesday by Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, said the arrest of the ex-lawmakers was sequel to allegations by concerned Plateau citizens, accusing them of violating the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and abuse of procurement processes.

Oyewale said the former lawmakers spent only six months in office and the state government bought luxury vehicles for them in their official capacities.

“Investigation further showed that the said vehicles are valued at N2.5 billion. Upon leaving office, the vehicles were meant to be returned to the state government but were taken away by the legislators and all efforts to retrieve them have proved abortive,” the statement reads.

“The state government had to procure another set of vehicles for the present members of the House of Assembly valued at about N2 billion.

“The former speaker and other members will soon be charged to court.”

In November 2023, the court of appeal nullified the election of the former Plateau lawmakers because they were not validly sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 election.

The court had held that the PDP structure in Plateau collapsed since 2020 and that the party cannot claim to have a structure to sponsor any candidate to contest an election.