Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, a former member of the house of representatives, has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to reopen and prosecute allegations of financial crimes case involving Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Agbonayinma, through his lawyer, Hannibal Uwaifo, of
Sagitarian Law Firm, gave the commission 14 days to act on the request.
The lawyer, in a letter dated August 27 and received by the
EFCC on September 1, said the request was based on an EFCC investigation and
report on allegations involving Atiku between 2005 and 2006, when he was
vice-president.
The letter referred to a report titled ‘The EFCC report on
Vice-President Abubakar Atiku (Full report)’ dated September 2006.
According to the letter, the report contained allegations of
“sleaze, money laundering, and other serious financial crimes and other
criminal acts” involving the former vice-president.
Agbonayinma’s lawyers said the EFCC had indicated that it
would prosecute Atiku after he left office, but alleged that no such
prosecution took place.
They described the alleged failure to act as a “serious
violation” of the law establishing the EFCC.
The lawyers also referred to a February 4, 2010, report by
the United States Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations, Committee
on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.
They alleged that the US report contained serious
allegations involving money laundering and other financial crimes against
Atiku.
The letter asked the EFCC to reactivate both the 2006 EFCC
report and the 2010 US senate report as a basis for the “immediate prosecution”
of the former vice-president.
Agbonayinma, according to the letter, said reopening the
case would demonstrate the EFCC’s willingness to tackle corruption involving
high-profile individuals.
“Our client believes that the present leadership at the EFCC
has all it takes to bring Nigeria out of the high corruption index for which
the country is presently infamous,” the letter reads.
The former lawmaker added that prosecution of the case would
represent “one of the greatest milestone achievements” of the anti-graft
agency.
Agbonayinma’s lawyers warned that if the EFCC failed to act
within 14 days of receiving the letter, their client had instructed them to
commence legal proceedings against the commission.
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