Nasir el-Rufai, ex-minister for the federal capital Abuja, who is wanted for allegedly misappropriating $246m (£167m), has locked himself away in the USA.
The indicted ex-minister claims he is busy with school work and studies in the US. The corruption watchdog said Mr Rufai had ignored a number of deadlines to appear before the commission.
‘According to reports, he was quoted by one newspaper title as having said. ‘Come and get me. In any case I have no intention of coming back to get my confiscated passport.’
According to an EFCC statement released, ‘Instead of the ex-minister seizing the opportunity to respond to the weighty allegations against him, he has resorted to a hide-and-seek game, and an appalling show of impunity on the pages of newspapers.
During his time as a minister – under former President Olusegun Obasanjo – Mr Rufai had a reputation for attacking corruption in government but recent investigations show that he had been a wolf in sheeps clothing.
Despite recent anti-corruption campaigns, Transparency International still ranks Nigeria as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has however grown tired of waiting for Mr Rufai to come forward and answer its questions.
