TheCable

Esther Oba, sister of ex-first lady Patience Jonathan, has reportedly been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to The Nation, she was picked up on Monday upon arrival from Dubai with her family.

She was said to have been arrested and taken into EFCC custody after the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) alerted the anti-graft agency.

Esther who has been on a watch list for months was transferred to the EFCC headquarters.

She is being investigated for alleged laundering of N359, 397,458 through two firms linked to the former first lady.

The companies are said to be AM-PM Global Networks Limited and Finchley Homes Limited. N42 million was reportedly traced to Finchley.

“We have been looking for her but she has been faceless. We watch-listed her for arrest by any security agency,” an EFCC official told the newspaper.

“Fortunately at about noon on Monday, the Nigerian Immigration Service(NIS) contacted us that she was arrested while returning from Dubai with her husband and three children. She was arrested at Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport.

“Her name featured in the operation of one of the accounts of ex-first Lady Patience Jonathan. The account is in the name of AM-PM Global Networks Limited which is domiciled in Stanbic IBTC.

“It is one of the accounts we have frozen. She is the sole signatory to the account of this firm suspected to have been used for money laundering.

“She took charge of this account on 3rd February 2016 and between March and May 2016, the account had an inflow of N350m but she said she does not know the source. She is attributing the source to her brother.”

The official quoted Oba as saying that only her late brother could explain the source of the cash.

TheCable was not able to confirm the arrest as Wilson Uwujaren, spokesman of EFCC, could not be reached.