THIS DAWN — A fresh wave of public outrage erupted on Friday after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) hurriedly deleted from its official website a long-standing notice declaring former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayodele Oke, and his wife, Folasade, wanted for alleged money laundering.
The sudden removal came just as Nigerians expressed shock over Oke’s nomination and appointment as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States.
Many described the appointment as “confounding,” given his unresolved criminal charges.
Despite EFCC’s swift deletion, the headline “EFCC Declares Ex-NIA DG, Oke, Wife Wanted” remains prominently visible on Google Search results, where digital records update slowly.
Critics argue that the move appears to be an attempt to cleanse Oke’s public profile.
They, however, note that “Google cannot be cleaned as quickly as EFCC can edit a webpage.
See the attached screenshot below:
How it all began
The original EFCC notice, issued in 2019, detailed the couple’s failure to appear in court over a N13 billion money-laundering trial.
According to the EFCC, Oke and his wife left Nigeria for medical treatment shortly before they were to be arraigned.
Justice Chukwujeku Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos had issued an arrest warrant for the couple on February 7, 2019.
The arrest warrant followed an oral application by EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo.
The EFCC statement, signed at the time by its acting spokesman, Tony Orilade, indicted the couple.
It outlined the couple’s alleged involvement in the infamous 2017 discovery of $43 million, £27,800, and N23.8 million hidden in an Ikoyi apartment.
Investigations further revealed that under Ambassador Oke’s leadership, the NIA collected $289,202,382 in cash in 2015.
The cash collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was purportedly for covert operations.
Osinbajo panel indicted Oke of money laundering
A special investigative panel headed by then–Vice President Yemi Osinbajo later indicted Oke, recommending his dismissal and prosecution.
One of the charges against Oke and his wife alleged the unlawful conversion of $160,777,136.85 belonging to the Federal Government.
The panel noted that the funds the EFCC said they “reasonably ought to have known” were proceeds of criminal breach of trust.
Nigerians at home and in the diaspora have continued to mount questions over the rationale behind appointing a man previously declared wanted.
Civil society groups and legal analysts insist that the government must clarify whether Oke has been cleared through any judicial process.
If not, whether the deletion of the EFCC notice signals a troubling manipulation of the justice system.
For many Nigerians, the unfolding episode is yet another test of transparency, accountability, and the integrity of the country’s anti-corruption institutions under the auspices of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
