The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is preparing to interrogate the sacked Director General of the Directorate of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, over an alleged N17bn scam, a Daily Trust said.

The paper said it learnt on Wednesday that Daura, who was sacked by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo following the siege to the National Assembly by DSS operatives, is being interrogated by the police.

It quoted unnamed EFCC sources as disclosing that operatives of the anti-graft agency on Tuesday evening visited the police facility at Guzape Abuja where Daura was being held preparatory to receiving him.

“It is expected that the former DSS boss will be handed [to the EFCC] over by the police for further interrogation to explain how the N17 billion traced to the headquarters of the DSS was utilised,” one of the sources at the anti-graft agency reportedly said.

The paper said it learnt that the money in question was left behind by Daura’s predecessor Ita Ekpeyong. “It was alleged that Ekpeyong received N20 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the end of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

“Ekpeyong, it was also alleged, converted N17 billion into United States of America (USA) dollars, which he left behind when he handed over to Daura.

“The funds were reportedly traced by EFCC investigators as a fall out of discoveries after the $43 billion linked to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) was found stashed at a private apartment inside Osborne Towers in Ikoyi, Lagos,” the report said.

It quoted EFCC sources as saying that operatives of the commission had been working on the investigation report that indicted the management of the DSS, but that the investigation was frustrated by Daura.

“So now is a good time to get Daura to answer questions in connection to the investigation earlier started,” one of the sources reportedly said.