Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari, to immediately recall the former Chief of Army Staff, COAS, and Ambassador to Benin Republic, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), for investigation over alleged connection with the N1.8bn recovered in a property in Abuja by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
PDP which accused the ruling APC of habouring and shielding treasury looters argued that Buratai should clear his name over the alleged recovered funds.
According to PDP the recovered funds could be part of the missing $1 billion released from the federation account for the purchase of arms to fight terrorism as earlier raised by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Babagana Monguno, shortly after the exit of Gen. Buratai left office as COAS.
PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, demanded immediate probe of Buratai.
The statement made available to Ikengaonline read in part: “It is therefore of serious interest to Nigerians when reports that the ICPC discovered the sum of N1.8 billion in various currencies, expensive cars and jewelry secreted in a property in Abuja allegedly linked to the former COAS broke out.
“There are already apprehensions that the discovered money is part of the security fund that was criminally diverted. This is especially against the backdrop of the frenzy and spirited efforts by certain quarters linked to the APC to suppress investigation and free flow of information, politicize the matter and sweep it under the carpet.
“Nigerians will recall that our Party had on several occasions alerted that the looting of our treasury is officially sanctioned and enabled by the APC administration with its refusal to prosecute those who were alleged and found to have been involved in massive corruption.
“It would also be recalled that the PDP drew attention to plans of the APC to create a slush fund account from monies fraudulently drawn from the national treasury to finance their plot to rig the 2023 general elections.“
PDP accused APC of treasuring looting for alleged vote buying in 2023, citing the just-concluded Ekiti State.
“The prevalence of vote buying in that election by the APC was even acknowledged by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, which prompted the INEC Chairman to demand for speedy trial of those arrested for vote buying in the Ekiti State election.
“The reports of massive looting by APC leaders and their cronies in government Ministries, Departments and Agencies further confirm the APC administration as a haven for treasury looters.
“Moreover, the recently exposed looting of N80bn by the suspended Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, which investigation has now gone cold is suspected to have been engineered by the cabal at very high level of the APC administration.”
