EFCC Asked To Reopen Atiku’s ‘Financial Crimes’ Case
A former member of the House of Representatives, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to reopen and prosecute alleged financial crimes involving former vice-president and presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar.
Agbonayinma, through his lawyer, Hannibal Uwaifo of Sagitarian Law Firm, gave the anti-graft agency 14 days to act on the demand.
He warned that failure to commence the investigation would trigger legal action against the commission.
The petition, dated August 27 and received by the EFCC on September 1, relies on an earlier investigation and report by the commission into allegations against Atiku dating back to 2005 and 2006, when he served as vice-president.
The lawyer specifically referenced a September 2006 document titled, “The EFCC Report on Vice-President Abubakar Atiku (Full Report).”
According to the petition, the report contained allegations of “sleaze, money laundering, and other serious financial crimes and other criminal acts” allegedly linked to the former vice-president.
Agbonayinma’s lawyers alleged that the EFCC had indicated its intention to prosecute Atiku after he left office but failed to follow through with the prosecution.
They described the alleged failure to prosecute as a “serious violation” of the law establishing the commission.
The petition also cited a February 4, 2010 report by the United States Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations, under the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.
The lawyers alleged that the US Senate report contained further allegations of money laundering and other financial crimes involving Atiku.
They therefore asked the EFCC to reactivate both the 2006 investigation report and the 2010 US Senate report as the basis for the “immediate prosecution” of the former vice-president.
Agbonayinma said reopening the matter would demonstrate the anti-graft agency’s commitment to investigating corruption allegations involving politically influential Nigerians.
“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 petition stated.
The former lawmaker further argued that prosecuting the case would constitute “one of the greatest milestone achievements” of the EFCC.
His lawyers warned that unless the commission acted within 14 days of receiving the petition, Agbonayinma had instructed them to commence legal proceedings against the EFCC.
The demand comes amid renewed public debate over allegations and legal proceedings concerning records held by United States government agencies relating to President Bola Tinubu.
On Thursday, the Presidency dismissed reports suggesting that the ongoing Freedom of Information Act case before a US federal court amounted to a criminal proceeding against Tinubu.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency described the matter as a civil dispute concerning access to government records.
Onanuga said the case, pending before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, had not produced any finding of criminal wrongdoing against Tinubu.
The Presidency said the matter originated in 2022 after Aaron Greenspan filed FOIA requests with several US government agencies seeking records relating to Tinubu.
Following the agencies’ refusal to disclose some records or confirm their existence, Greenspan instituted Civil Action No. 23-1816 before the Washington, D.C. federal court in 2023.
The court subsequently permitted Tinubu to participate in the proceedings as an intervenor.
