Ayodele Oke, one of President Tinubu’s three nominated ambassadors, was once the subject of an arrest warrant and declared wanted after he was accused of stealing $43 million, £28,000 and N23 million in public funds
On February 7, 2019, a Federal High Court in Lagos issued a warrant for the arrest of Ayodele Oke, who was a former director general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and Folasade, his wife.
The order was issued following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Just before they were due to appear in court on fraud charges, Oke and his wife left the country for “medical treatment”.
The EFCC subsequently declared Oke and Folasade wanted after their failure to respond to a court summons.
The couple was charged with the theft and laundering of huge funds belonging to the Nigerian state. One of the EFCC charges accused Oke and Folasade of stealing $43 million, £28,000 and N23 million, all cash.
The EFCC found the cash in their Lagos apartment during a 2017 raid. Another charge showed a $160 million sum that the couple were accused of diverting from the Nigerian federal government for their own use.
In the same 2017, Oke was suspended as director general of the NIA after Yemi Osinbajo, who was Vice President of Nigeria at the time, headed a committee that investigated the incident and recommended to President Buhari that he be removed.