Interpol is the International Criminal
Police Organisation that facilitates international police cooperation,
with global membership of 190 countries, spread across four continents.
According to the data on Interpol’s
website, 63 Nigerians comprising 56 males and seven females have been
declared wanted by the organisation for various offences.
Nigeria trails Libya with 90 persons; Egypt, 156; and Rwanda, 160.
Other African countries that rank next
to Nigeria are South Africa, Zimbabwe and Sudan, making them fifth,
sixth and seventh positions with 41, 38, 25 persons respectively, while
countries like Cameroon, Niger and Chad rank as the 27th, 28th and 36th,
with eight, seven and two persons respectively.
Only 43 of the 54 African countries have
their citizens on the wanted list, leaving out 11 countries with no
citizen in the document. They are Madagascar, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina
Faso, Gabon and Lesotho, among others.
The Nigerians on the list, whose ages
range between 26 and 72, were declared wanted for various offences by
the judicial authorities of both Nigeria and some foreign countries for
prosecution and to serve a sentence.
The countries include South Africa,
United States of America, China, India, Brazil, Canada, Argentina,
Botswana and Norway, with India, US and Brazil having the highest
numbers of Nigerians on their list.
The offences include fraud, criminal
conspiracy, cheating, drug trafficking, theft, customs crimes like
smuggling, rape/aggravated sexual assault, stealing, escape from lawful
custody, abduction and threat to life.
Interpol had stated on its website that
its crime areas include corruption, crimes against children, cybercrime,
drugs, environmental crime, financial crime, firearms, fugitive
investigations, integrity in sport and maritime piracy.
Others are organised crime,
pharmaceutical crime, terrorism, trafficking in human beings,
trafficking in illicit goods and counterfeiting, vehicle crime, war
crimes and works of arts.
Seventy-two-year-old Nigerian, Emejulu
Herbert, is the oldest person on the list. He was declared wanted by the
judicial authorities of United States of America for conspiracy to
commit health care fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to
distribute drugs.
Nkem Butchang, 26, who is the youngest,
was also declared wanted by the judicial authorities of Canada for
sexual assault and failure to comply with condition of recognisance.
In the same vein, Itumo Anthony, 36,
male, was declared wanted by the judicial authorities of Nigeria for
prosecution and to serve a sentence for committing fraud, theft,
terrorist finance and conversion.
Also, a 41-year-old woman, Esther
Florence, has been declared by the judicial authorities of India for
prosecution and to serve a sentence for criminal conspiracy, while
59-year-old Akinwale Olufunke, female was also on the wanted list on the
request of the United States for prosecution and to serve a sentence
for conspiracy and attempt to possess with intent to distribute a
controlled substance.
Other persons on the list include Disu
Oluwadamilare, Opara John, Ohai Harrison, Costa Austine, Okromi Austine,
Onyegbu Florence, Ilechukwu Osita, Opadeyi Moses, Agbakoba Chiwoh,
Adebowale Abiodun, among others. Also, five persons including a
seven-year-old girl, Ndudi Olivia, have been declared missing by the
Interpol.
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