Former House of Representatives member and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to reopen and prosecute a financial crimes case he alleged involved former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
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Agbonayinma gave the anti-graft agency 14 days to act on his request, warning that he would take legal action if the EFCC failed to respond within the period.
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The petition was submitted on his behalf by his lawyer, Hannibal Egbe Uwaifo, SAN, of Sagitarian Law Firm.
In the petition, Agbonayinma alleged that the EFCC investigated Atiku over corruption-related allegations between 2005 and 2006, when he was vice president.
He referred to a report allegedly produced by the commission in September 2006 titled “The EFCC Report on Vice-President Abubakar Atiku (Full Report).” According to him, the report contained allegations involving corruption, money laundering and other financial offences.
The former lawmaker claimed that although the EFCC had indicated that Atiku would be prosecuted after leaving office, no such prosecution had taken place.
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He accused the commission of failing to follow through on the matter and argued that the alleged inaction amounted to a failure to carry out its anti-corruption responsibilities.
Agbonayinma also cited a February 2010 report by the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, which he said contained allegations relating to money laundering and other financial crimes involving Atiku.
He asked the EFCC to reactivate both the commission’s 2006 report and the US Senate report and use them as a basis for investigating and prosecuting the former vice president.
The APC chieftain argued that pursuing the matter would demonstrate the EFCC’s commitment to fighting corruption, including allegations involving politically influential individuals.
He further expressed confidence that the current EFCC leadership had the capacity to pursue the case and make it an example of the commission’s efforts to tackle corruption.
Agbonayinma’s petition gave the EFCC 14 days from the date of the letter to respond to his demand.
He warned that failure by the commission to act within the stated period would lead him to seek legal remedies against the agency.
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