Nigeria's bank governor Sanusi 'threatened with arrest'

The office of speaker Aminu Tambuwal said he had signed arrest warrants for Lamido Sanusi and the other officials.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

The office of speaker Aminu Tambuwal said he had signed arrest warrants for Lamido Sanusi and the other officials.The warrants will be executed if they fail to appear before MPs to explain the whereabouts of money allegedly owed to the treasury, a spokesman said.Mr Sanusi said he was unaware of the warrant and denied any wrongdoing.He is widely respected in banking circles in Africa and the West. In 2011, he was named the Central Bank Governor of the Year by the global financial publication, The Banker. Earlier this month, he called for the size of the House of Representatives, the 360-member lower chamber, to be reduced to free up money for development.He also called for the number of public servants to be cut by half.Mr Tambuwal’s spokesman, Imam Imam, said other officials for whom warrants have been issued include Andrew Yakub, group managing director of the state-owned Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC), and National Pension Commission Director-General Muhammad Ahmad.