Date Published: 02/25/10

Drama as EFCC arrests Kenny Martins in Abuja

Former chairman of the Police Equipment Fund (PEF), Kenny Martins has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC). Martins who is being detained at the premises of the EFCC was picked by operatives of the anti-graft agency at about 5pm Nigerian time outside the premises of a Federal High Court in maitama, Abuja.

His arrest is sequel to a bench warrant issued by a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on February 12, 2010. Social crusader and Attorney, Festus Keyamo hads asked the court to convict the Martins, Ibrahim Dumuje, Joni Icheka, and Cosmas Okpara for their role in forgery of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) documents that facilitated the N7billion fraud at PEF. A lower court had discharged the quartet, but the Federal High Court upturned the lower court’s ruling.

The quartet is alleged to have forged documents relating to the CAC in a bid to fraudulently change members of the Board of Directors of NIGERSTALG Ltd., the Federal government’s partner on the PEF board.

Martins arrest, pointblank news.com learnt, did not go down without a mild drama . Sources hinted pointblank news.com when operatives of the EFCC were alerted of Martin’s presence at a Federal High Court maitama in an unrelated matter, the agency swooped on the premises.

Sources told pointblank news.com that shortly after concluding his business in the maitama court at about 11am, Martins headed for his car. But when he noticed that some unidentified men he suspected to be EFCC operatives were approaching him, he backed off and ran back into the court.

Martins, it was further gathered hid in one of the offices for close to seven hours. Said our source” When the operatives tried to approach him, Martins ran into the court and hid there between 11am and 5pm, when the court was empty. He had no choice but to leave, and so he was promptly picked up and taken to the EFCC office where he is being detained”

Contacted, EFCC spokesman, Femi Babafemi confirmed the development. According to him” He is with us. Our men picked him up this evening. He will appear in court on Monday. We had to pick him up because we are an interedted party and had been prosecuting his case”