At the expiration of the 72-hour ultimatum to the three anti-graft agencies to arrest, interrogate and prosecute the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar for alleged fleecing of public funds, the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo has dragged them to court.
He also joined Atiku in the suit dated 20th January 2023.
On Monday, the spokesman of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu presidential campaign petitioned chairmen of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), accusing the PDP candidate of four major infractions.
Keyamo gave the agencies 72 hours to initiate arrest, investigation and possible prosecution of the former Vice President.
Keyamo, who is also the chief spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC), alleged that Atiku colluded to fleece the country of public funds using what he termed as “Special Purpose Vehicles” (SPVs).
He maintained that with the public revelations of a whistleblower, Mr Michael Achimugu and pieces of evidence, Atiku has a case to answer, calling on the three anti-graft agencies to arrest, interrogate and possibly prosecute the former Vice President within 72 hours.
In a suit filed on Friday at an Abuja Federal High Court against the CCB, ICPC and EFCC, the Minister prayed the court to make a mandatory order compelling the anti-graft agencies to invite and/or arrest, investigate and (if found wanting) prosecute the Atiku in respect of the information available to him “in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as “Special Purpose Vehicles” to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.”
He also asked for a mandatory order compelling Atiku to make himself available to the anti-graft agencies “to aid and investigate the former Vice President on information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a “Special Purpose Vehicles” to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.”
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
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