The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday said a former director of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), Letam Wiwa, was not in its custody, contrary to media reports.
“I can’t find any such detainee in our records,” said EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, in response to an enquiry by PREMIUM TIMES. “I can’t find anything on him.”
Before Mr. Uwujaren spoke, another top official of the anti-graft agency had told this newspaper that reports of Mr. Wiwa’s arrest were untrue.
“We are not aware of any such arrest,” the official stated.
Reports in some newspapers had claimed Monday morning that Mr. Wiwa, a major general, was arrested at the weekend and transferred to Abuja for further questioning by EFCC operatives over alleged involvement in a $2.1 billion arms deal
Mr. Wiwa, who is currently the deputy commandant at the Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, also told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday morning that he was in his office in Oshodi, Lagos.
He said he was neither invited for questioning nor arrested by the EFCC.
“I just woke up this morning, and people started calling me that they saw reports of my arrest in the papers,” said Mr. Wiwa, in response to an enquiry by this newspaper.
“I was really surprised. And that must be a magic arrest. I am now sitting in my office in Oshodi, Lagos. The papers were just too audacious. They didn’t even ask the army whether any such arrest happened. There was not even an invitation, let alone an arrest,” he stated.
As stated by him, the operations of the DMI has nothing to do with procurement of equipment for the army or any security agency.
The spokesperson for the army, Sani Usman, a colonel, was not immediately available to comment for this story.
When contacted, he requested that a text message enquiry be sent to him.
He is yet to respond to that message as at the time of this report.
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