Court renews ex-militant's arrest warrant over $175m fraud, orders intensified search for him

Following his failure to appear in court despite summons, a Nigerian court has set a new deadline for the arrest of former militant leader,

Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High court in Lagos renewed Tompolo's arrest warrant on Monday, February 8, and dismissed the application filed by the ex-militant's lawyer, Tayo Oyetibo, urging the court to set aside an order of substituted service.

READ: EFCC accuse Tompolo of N11.8b fraud, files new charges

The judge had initially ordered the ex-militant arrest on January 14 but his lawyer the defendant’s lawyer claimed in court on Monday he had not been properly served with the summons.

“Up till today the first defendant has refused to honour the invitation of the court to appear before it.

"The whole essence of service is to make the person aware of charges facing him.‎ By bringing an application before the court, the first defendant had become aware of the charge before the court", the judge said.

Justice Buba adjourned the case till February 19 and ordered relevant security agencies to produce Tompolo.

The ex-militant is facing 14 counts of theft and money laundering between 2012 and last year totalling just over $175 million (157 million euros).

READ: EFCC accuse Tompolo of fresh N22.8b fraud

He is one of 10 defendants, including a former Director‎ General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Akpobolokemi, named on a 40-count indictment brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).