Dikko, Abubakar not declared wanted —LMC

The League Management Company (LMC) on Thursday insisted that its officers were never declared wanted by the police and can therefore not be on the run because there are laid out and well known procedures the police adopt in declaring a person wanted.

LMC made the declaration in the aftermath of a staged raid by some policemen at its corporate head office on Osun Crescent, Abuja, purportedly seeking to arrest and imprison its chairman, Shehu Dikko and the Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar on the orders of Mr Justice I.I Kunda of the Jos Division of the Plateau State High Court.

The LMC said it was aware of a court order from the said judge, but added that it has appealed the order and filed a motion for stay of execution.

A statement from the LMC on Thursday clarified that in addition to filing a formal protest to the Office of the Inspector General Of Police (IGP), it had verified from the Police command that at no time did it declare the LMC officials wanted.

“For the avoidance of doubt, there are spelt out procedures for declaring a person wanted by the police. Courts do not declare persons wanted but if a court wishes to compel the appearance of a person before it, the court issues a bench warrant directing the police to arrest and produce the person before it on a given date.

“The police or other law enforcement agencies can declare a person wanted if they find reasons to do so, particularly if the person is a suspect in the commission of a crime and is on the run. In other words, the assistance of the public at large is being sought to apprehend such a person.

“Such declaration will be made by formal public pronouncement by the police and not a handful working with shadowy persons to achieve personal set agenda,” the LMC explained.