Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, a former member of the House of Representatives, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to revisit and prosecute allegations of financial misconduct linked to Atiku Abubakar during his tenure as Nigeria’s vice-president.
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.
