The Economic Financial Crimes Commission has announced that personnel of the Nigerian Air Force who were released on administrative bail by its Kaduna Zonal Command will be charged to court upon completion of its ongoing investigation.
The NAF personnel who were released last Friday on bail, had tried rescuing their colleagues who were arrested for alleged fraud by the anti-graft agency. They will now be charged for breach of security, according to the anti-graft commission.
EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale said in a statement;
“Operatives of the Kaduna Zonal Command of the EFCC, on Monday, November 13, 2023, arrested five suspects at a residential Inn and Disney Chicken Eatery, Barnawa, Kaduna following credible intelligence about their alleged internet- related fraud activities.
“The suspected fraudsters: Favour Itung, Rachael Ande, Zuleiman Haruna, Abubakar Ismaila and Solomon Olobatoke were arrested without incident.
“However, after the sting operation, six military personnel who witnessed the operation at Disney Chicken Eatery, stormed the Kaduna Command and attempted to forcibly release the arrested fraud suspects. They were subdued and detained over the security breach.
“The intruders are four Air Force personnel : Lawal Abdullahi, Chukwuma Christian, Alfa Suleiman and Emmanuel Ekwozor, and two students of Nigerian Air Force Institute of Technology,: Chidera Anuba and Joseph Tokula. While in detention, there were inter- agency communication and discussions by the leadership of the EFCC and the Nigerian Air Force to resolve the issues.
“Unfortunately, dialogue on the release of the combative Air Force personnel broke down on Friday, November 17, 2023 when some unruly NAF Officers stormed the Kaduna Command in a commando- style, to forcefully release their detained colleagues.
“The EFCC exercised restraint in the face of the provocation and flagrant abuse of power. The Commission continued to engage with the leadership of the Nigeria Air Force and released the officers to the NAF Provost after they had been duly profiled. The EFCC wishes to assure the public that it will continue to carry out its statutory mandate of tackling all cases of economic and financial crimes, without let or hindrance.”