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..to be declared wanted by the end of January if not found
Following the freezing of some accounts believed to have a direct link to Dame Patience Jonathan, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has launched a manhunt for one Esther Oba, an alleged accomplice of the former first lady.
A senior detective at the EFCC who spoke on condition of anonymity said if the commission failed to find her before the end of January, she would be declared wanted.
It was learnt that the move had become necessary as part of investigations into a fresh N9bn found in accounts linked to Mrs. Jonathan.
The source explained that Oba is believed to be fronting for Patience.
He added that due to the existence of Bank Verification Number, it had become difficult for politically exposed persons to keep huge sums of money in their accounts.
He said, “After we froze Patience Jonathan’s accounts a few months ago, we continued to investigate the former first lady. We then stumbled on about five accounts which did not bear her name but had her signature.
“We realised that one Esther Oba had been operating some accounts for her. The accounts had Oba’s BVN but carried Patience’s signature. This is a clear case of fraud.
“We have been trying to invite the woman but we have not been able to locate her. If in the next two weeks we do not see her, we will have no choice but to declare her wanted and put up her picture in every newspaper in Nigeria,” the source said.