EFCC arrests Abba Moro, 2 others

The Economic and Finan­cial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday arrest­ed a former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, over the Nigerian Im­migration Service (NIS) recruit­ment scam in which no fewer than 20 job seekers died.

Also arrested by the anti-graft agency were former Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Anaes­thesia Nwaobia, and a deputy di­rector who allegedly facilitated the scam.

A source at the commission told an online news medium that the three suspects were picked up in the evening.

“They were brought into the commission’s headquarters today yesterday and will be arraigned on a 12-count charge in the Federal High Court Abuja on Tuesday,” the source said.

Some of the charges against Mr. Moro and his colleagues include obtaining by false pretence, pro­curement offences, corrupt prac­tices and money laundering.

At least nine job seekers died on March 15, 2014 at the Abuja Na­tional Stadium while scrambling to secure seats for a recruitment test into the Nigerian Immigration Service.

The stampede ensued after the over 200,000 job seekers scram­bled through a poorly organized barricade at the stadium.

In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, four applicants died from the stampede while 12 others sus­tained injuries and were rushed to Rivers State government-owned Braithwaite Memorial Hospital.

After the March 15 tragedy, sev­eral Nigerians demanded the res­ignation or dismissal of Mr. Moro and the Comptroller-General of Immigration, David Parradang, as well as their criminal prosecution for involuntary homicide