Keyamo goes on the offensive, slams ICPC, EFCC with suit seeking Atiku’s arrest

The spokesman of the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress, Festus Keyamo, has further pressed his demands for the arrest of Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In order to achieve this mandate, Keyamo, on Friday, filed a lawsuit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), after an ultimatum issued to the commission for Atiku’s arrest over corruption allegations, elapsed.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) joined the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Related Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in the suit, which was filed after the 72-hour ultimatum he gave elapsed.

The defendants read in the order;

1. ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR

2. CODE OF CONDUCT BUREAU

3. INDEPENDENT CORRUPT PRACTICES (AND OTHER RELATED OFFENCES) COMMISSION

4. ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION.

An excerpt from the suit reads, “A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 1st Defendant is under a legal obligation to make available to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants, for the purpose of aiding their investigation, 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.

Read also:In counter move to Keyamo, lawyer calls for arrest of Tinubu, Obi over SPVs

“A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 1st Defendant is under a legal obligation to submit himself to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants for thorough investigation in connection with 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.”

The ultimatum was issued by Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in a letter dated January 16 and addressed to the heads of the EFCC, ICPC, and CBC.

For alleged violations of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, money laundering, criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation, and conspiracy, he had stated that Atiku should be detained and prosecuted.

The controversial videos that Michael Achimugu, a former Atiku aide, posted prompted Keyamo to make the demand.

Achimugu made a number of accusations against the PDP presidential candidate in the films that were made public a few weeks ago.

He had asserted that during Atiku’s tenure as vice president between 1999 and 2007, he conspired with former president Olusegun Obasanjo to defraud the nation by using what he called “Special Purpose Vehicles” (SPVs).

#ATIKUGATE: FOLLOWING THE EXPIRATION OF MY 72-HOUR ULTIMATUM, I HAVE PROCEEDED TO THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT, ABUJA SUING ATIKU, CCB, ICPC & EFCC AND ASKING FOR INVITATION/ARREST AND INVESTIGATION OF ATIKU OVER THE SPV SAGA. I HAVE A RICH HISTORY OF SUCH BATTLES & I AM NOT STOPPING pic.twitter.com/O4u9mDevqi

— Festus Keyamo, SAN (@fkeyamo) January 20, 2023

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now