The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed the arrest of Captain Warredi Enisuoh, the Director of Operatives and Technical of the Tantita Security Limited, a company belonging to the former Commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Government Ekpemupolo, well known as Tompolo.

The Star recalls that Tantita Security Limited, last Saturday, said the EFCC arrested and has since January 19, 2023, detained Enisuoh.

The company noted that efforts to secure the release of Enisuoh, who is being detained after he honoured an invitation by the anti-drug agency, were unsuccessful.

However, the EFCC, in a statement issued on Monday by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said the Tantita Security director’s arrest was not related to oil pipeline security or his role as the Head of Operations in the company.

Uwujaren noted that Enisuoh was arrested for money laundering.

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He stated: “Enisuoh is under investigation in an alleged case of money laundering involving the criminal dissipation of funds in an account held by him but which is the subject of longstanding investigation by the EFCC.

“As an official of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Enisuoh is being prosecuted alongside former Director General of the Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi for fraudulent conversion of various sums of money belonging to the Agency.

”In the course of that investigation, over $420,000, suspected proceeds of illicit activities, was traced to an account held by him. The Commission had obtained a Court Order to freeze the account and preserve the funds, but Enisuoh in 2018 secured an Order of the Court of Appeal to lift the freeze Order. However, the Court of Appeal did not find in favour of Captain Warredi Enisouh that the funds in issue were not proceeds of unlawful activities.

“The Commission received intelligence that Enisuoh dissipated the funds reasonably suspected to be the proceeds of his unlawful activities within three days in May 2018. He was on the Commission’s watch-list until January 19, 2023, when he was taken into custody. A remand notice was duly filed to keep him, pending the conclusion of the investigation.

“He is cooperating with the investigation and has already returned $100,000 to the account.

“The Commission is a critical stakeholder in the fight against oil theft and has demonstrated this by successfully prosecuting perpetrators of such heinous crime. It will therefore not take any step to frustrate the determination of the government to fight oil theft and sundry offences,” the EFCC spokesperson said.

The Star