Nigeria, the fourth on Interpol’s African wanted list

Nigeria ranks fourth of the 54 countries in Africa with the highest number of citizens on the Interpol wanted list.

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.