Adeyemi Edun, a London estate alleged to have helped former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, acquire property in the UK has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Mail on Sunday reports that Mr Edun, who has appeared on the BBC’s Homes Under The Hammer, was detained as he arrived in Nigeria on Wednesday.
Edun, who has dual British-Nigerian nationality, is the owner of the Daniel Ford estate agency near King’s Cross, London.
He could not be contacted for comment and colleagues at his London office declined to answer questions.
It is understood he remained in custody on Friday, and had not been charged, the newspaper said.
“I can confirm the arrest but I am not able to give details at this stage,” EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, told The Mail on Sunday.
Uwujaren responded to a text by Qed.ng on Saturday night with a similar response.
“I can confirm the arrest but no details yet,” he wrote.
Last month, it was revealed that Edun had been named in US court documents as having links to an alleged money laundering scandal swirling around Diezani.
The court papers said he had “assisted” various Nigerian businessmen with the purchase of £8.3million of prime London real estate intended “for the use and benefit” of the former minister in March 2011.
He previously told The Mail on Sunday that “everything [we do] is done within the ambit of regulation”.
Edun, 46, has links to other Nigerian politicians and has attended dinners for the country’s expats at luxury hotels in London.
Former Arsenal and Nigeria football star, Nwankwo Kanu, has praised his work, reportedly saying in 2012 that Daniel Ford ‘helped grow my London property investment despite my tight schedule’.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing or any further link to the company by Kanu.
Diezani also denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
