Minister of state for defence's chief protocol officer dies during EFCC questioning

ECONOMIC and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials have been accused of murdering the chief protocol officer of the minister of state for defence Desmond Nunugwo after arresting him in connection with a corruption scandal.

 

Like many other defence ministry officials, Mr Nunugwo was arrested in connection with a military scandal in which money budgeted for arms purchases was diverted into private pockets.  His widow Sussanne, has, however, accused the EFCC of killing her husband and labelling him a criminal.

 

She explained that six hours after Desmond was taken into custody, he was pronounced dead. According to Mrs Nunugwo, she had been calling her husband’s phone repeatedly but it was switched off as she did not know he was in the EFCC’s custody in Wuse 2, Abuja.

 

 Mrs Nunugwo added:  “Around 3pm on June 9, my husband had gone to pick up our son from school and they both returned home and he later went out. Around 6pm, I called his line and it rang once and then I tried his number several times later but it was off.

 

“The next morning, I got apprehensive when he didn’t come home. However, around 3.48pm, someone called me with his phone and said my husband was in the EFCC’s custody and I should come to bail him.”

 

She said that on getting to the EFCC's offices, she was told to go and get a man because being a woman, her husband could not be released on bail to her. Shortly after leaving, the EFCC was alleged to have issued a press statement breaking the news of Desmond’s death.

 

The EFCC called me to their office to come and bail my husband while he was already at the mortuary. I later received a phone call from a former colleague of mine that he had read the news online that my husband was arrested for fraud and he had died,” Mrs Nunugwo added.

 

She said she was informed that her husband’s arrest was sequel to a petition written by one Uloma, his business associate. Susanne berated the EFCC for labelling her husband a fraudster even after causing his death, adding that the anti-graft agency must clear his name.

 

A nephew of the deceased, Amaechi Ihezie, said that when he visited the EFCC, investigators told him that Desmond slumped and died. He said the anti-graft agency denied Desmond bail even after it had been discovered that he did not receive any money from the transaction he was accused of being party to.

 

Mr Ihezie accused the EFCC of being overzealous as the commission did not inform the defence ministry of Desmond’s arrest or investigation even though he had been working there for over 10 years. His family has now written a formal petition to the EFCC.