Accordingly, the EFCC said it has concluded arrangement to declare Dr. Thomas wanted over the money, which the commission described as money laundering. The move to declare Dr. Thomas wanted became imperative after he I believed to have suddenly disappeared into thin air.
A statement by the Spokesman of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujarem, said the anti-graft agency had been on the trail of the former NHIS boss for weeks since Bamidele named him as the owner of a $2,198,900 haul.
Ibiteye,46, a Bureau De Change operator, was arrested on July 3, 2015 at the Airport by the NDLEA and handed over to the EFCC on July 8 for further investigation.
Ibiteye later told the NDLEA that the money belonged to a client identified as Dr. Martins Thomas, a medical practitioner in Lagos, adding that he was acting on the instruction of Thomas, who asked him to take the money to Abuja.
Uwujarem further said; “Ibiteye said he used to work for Ebi Bureau De Change at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, before he established his company with the name ND&C Global Investment Limited which is yet to be fully registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
He also quoted Ibiteye as having said; "One of my clients, Dr. Martins Olufemi Thomas, gave me the said amount to take to Abuja."
Similarly, the Head of Media and Publicity of the NDLEA, Mitchel Ofoyeju, said: “Preliminary investigation conducted by the Assets and Financial Investigation Directorate of our agency revealed that the man’s action is in contravention of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as Amended).
"He alleged that the money belongs to one Dr. Martins Olufemi Thomas, a medical practitioner in Lagos.”
Uwujaren said that after Ibiteye mentioned Dr. Thomas as the owner of the money, all efforts to locate him both at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in Lagos and his known address in Abuja have proved futile.
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