Lawyer faults Senate over Lamorde's arrest warrant

Keyamo in a statement issued on behalf of his client, said "It has been brought to our attention through several publications in both the online and mainstream media that the Nigerian Senate has directed its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions (hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”), to issue a Warrant of Arrest against our client, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, for failing to appear before it. “

He also said "We respectfully urge the Inspector General of Police and other law enforcement agencies to disregard any such Warrant of Arrest (if issued) and resist the invitation to drag themselves into this illegal scheme. To set the records straight, the antecedents of this matter are briefly reproduced hereunder.”

An excerpt of the statement also reads: “Pursuant to a petition written by one George Uboh against our client, the Senate referred the petition to the Committee for investigation. In the course of the investigation, the Committee wrote a letter of invitation to our client as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), inviting him to a meeting with the Committee on 5th November, 2015. “

“Owing to prior engagements, our client could not attend that meeting and this was duly communicated to the Committee. However, on the 9th of November, 2015, our client was relieved of his duties as the Chairman of the EFCC and he handed over all obligations, duties and responsibilities pertaining to his office to Ibrahim Mustapha Magu, who was appointed Acting Chairman.

Read: APC senators pick holes in Lamorde's probe process

“Despite the fact that our client had handed over to the Acting Chairman, another letter of invitation was sent to him on 11th November, 2015 inviting him for a meeting with the Committee on 17th November, 2015. Our client could not honour that invitation as he was out of the country on his 3-month terminal leave. However, on the said 11th November, 2015, we appeared before the Committee to represent our client and raised objections to the conduct of the investigations by the Committee on two grounds.”

A petitioner, Mr. George Uboh alleged that Lamorde diverted N1tr, being proceeds from the loot recovered from a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and ex-Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun.