The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said its agents detained former parliament speaker Dimeji Bankole at his residence in the capital Abuja after he tried to resist arrest for more than four hours.
Bankole had told the agency he would hand himself in on Monday for questioning over allegations that he misappropriated tens of millions of dollars of parliamentary funds. But the EFCC said it believed he had other plans.
“An intelligence report ... showed that the former speaker was planning to leave Abuja for Lagos on Sunday evening and thereafter flee the country through an illegal route,” EFCC spokesman Femi Babafemi said in a statement.
President Goodluck Jonathan, who was sworn in for his first full term in office a week ago, has been criticized along with his predecessors for doing too little to tackle endemic corruption in Africa’s most populous nation.
Jonathan first came to power last year when his predecessor, Umaru Yar’Adua, died in office.
The EFCC has arrested senior political figures in the past, including powerful former state governors, but the cases have often failed to end in prosecutions.
Babafemi said Bankole was wanted for questioning over allegations including the misappropriation of 9 billion naira ($60 million), the diversion of funds in a 2.3 billion naira car-buying scheme, and taking a 10-billion naira personal bank loan using parliament’s account as collateral.
Bankole was speaker of the lower house of parliament from 2007 until Friday, when the outgoing house held its final sitting. A new term is due to begin this week following April presidential, parliamentary and state governorship elections.
