The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Senator Shehu Sani over alleged extortion of $20,000 from a businessman.
Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly between 2015 and 2019, was reportedly arrested on Tuesday, December 31, 2019.
The former lawmaker was arrested for collecting money from the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of ASD Motors, Alhaji Sani Dauda, promising to pass it on to Ibrahim Magu, the acting chairman of the EFCC.
The EFCC on Thursday, January 2, 2019, obtained an order from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory to detain the former Kaduna Central Senator for 14 days for interrogation and profiling of the exchanges between the two parties.
The Nations reports that Alhaji Dauda endorsed his petition against Senator Sani on oath and claimed that he lost $24,000 (N8.6million) in extortion to the lawmaker.
The document is titled: “Petition against Senator Shehu Sani for obtaining the sum of $24,000 under false pretences.”
Dauda gave graphic details of how Sani met him four times to pester him. He said:
“On 14th November, 2019. Senator Shehu Sani came to my residence in Kaduna State to sympathise with me in regard to a case that happened.
“After a few days, he came back to meet me again on 19th November, 2019 at night in my Abuja residence and told me that he had spoken to the Chief Justice of Nigeria regarding my case with one Abubakar and mentioned that the Chief Justice of Nigeria was unhappy.
“He continued that the CJN said Abubakar had some pending cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and that he would instruct EFCC to bring up the cases.
“Senator Shehu Sani further told me that the CJN had told four (4) Judges not to look into any case related to my case which Abubakar brought to them.
“When he left my house, he called back saying that I should give the sum of N1m each to the four (4) judges and another N1m for the EFCC officials.
“On 20th November, 2019, Senator Shehu Sani came back to my residence in Abuja to collect the sum of N5,000.000.00 in equivalent of dollar for the four (4) judges and EFCC officials.
“Senator Shehu Sani came back on 29th November, 2019 saying that the prosecutor in my case cannot do anything about it but he has already met with the EFCC chairman and the Chairman told him that he has to bring the sum of US$20,000.00 which shocked me, and I told him that I know that the EFCC chairman is a man of integrity, this can never come from him, but Shehu Sani said the chairman is his friend and that I don’t know they collect gratification.
“I didn’t believe him, but he said that as soon as the money gets to the chairman, Abubakar will definitely be arrested.
“On 29th November, 2019, I decided to try my luck and gave him the sum of $10,000.00. I decided to give a rest on the case in order to save myself and my family.
“The next day, 30th November, 20l9, Senator Shehu Sani came to me saying that Abubakar has not been arrested because he got a court order not to be arrested and EFCC officials were already in court to vacate the order and arrest him but they could not because the judge was not on sit(sic)
“Since then, Senator Shehu Sani refused to pick my calls and he has been neglecting my messages. All efforts to make him return my monies proved abortive.
“I plead that, you use your good offices to bring Senator Shehu Sani to justice for perpetrating fraud against me and for criminal misrepresentation of the EFCC chairman.”
As at press time, the EFCC had obtained court order to detain embattled former senator for 14 days to allow unfettered investigation of his alleged involvement in name dropping and extortion.
