Erastus Akingbola Returns From Self-Imposed Exile

San Francisco, August 03, (THEWILL) – Embattled fugitive former Group Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Mr. Erastus Akingbola has returned to Nigeria after spending almost a year abroad.

The banker arrived Abuja this morning (5.am) onboard a British Airways flight but was not arrested by security agents.

Sources close to Mr. Akingbola, who was removed as GMD of Intercontinental Bank Plc by the central bank in the wake of the global financial melt down that rocked the financial sector last year, say the former GMD is ready to defend all the allegations levelled against him.

He is accused of multiple financial crimes including misappropriation of depositors’ funds, stealing and money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Akingbola may have returned for fear of being extradited to Nigeria from Britain. The Nigerian government had last month officially applied to the United Kingdom for his extradition to Nigeria.

The government also successfully procured a court order to freeze Mr. Akingbola’s worldwide assets running into billions of Naira.

EFCC spokesman, Mr. Femi Babafemi confirmed that the commission has received intelligence that Akingbola is in the country adding that its operatives have been deployed to arrest him.