The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has
received a petition asking it to investigate the source of the money conveyed
in bullion vans to the home of the National Leader of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the eve of the 2019 presidential
election.
The petition, written by Concerned Nigerians, was acknowledged at the reception desk of the Executive Chairman’s office on Friday, a copy of which was sighted by The Guardian.
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The Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, had said in a
press briefing on November 12, 2018, that the Commission would investigate
Tinubu anytime it receives a petition to do so.
Speaking shortly after submitting the petition, Deji
Adeyanju, who led other petitioners, said: “I have decided to take up your
challenge after you called for a petition through your social media account on
Twitter.”
He stated that the group wants the EFCC to launch an
investigation into the appearance of bullion vans in the compound of a private
citizen, Tinubu, on the eve of 2019 presidential elections.
He regretted that other Nigerians had repeatedly drawn the
Commission’s attention to the same matter to no avail.
The petition read: “The Commission would recall that it was
reported all over the news that bullion vans allegedly containing an
undisclosed amount of cash were seen entering the home of Bola Ahmed Tinubu,
former governor of Lagos State on the eve of Nigeria’s presidential election.
Tinubu himself admitted to this fact while responding to questions by
journalists.
“It is pertinent to note that section 7 (1) (b) of EFCC
Establishment Act 2004 gives the Commission the power to investigate properties
of any person that it appears to the Commission that the person’s lifestyle and
extent of the properties are not justified by his source of income.
“To the best of our knowledge, Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a
private citizen who ordinarily should not be seen with a convoy of bullion
vans.
“The questions begging for answers are: What were bullion
vans doing in the house of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu? Who owns the content,
believed to be cash in the bullion vans that were seen entering the house of
Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the eve of Nigeria’s presidential election? Has the
Commission, based on its core mandates, investigated the source of the bullion
vans? Is Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s house now a bank where bullion vans take money?”
Adeyanju called on the Commission to as a matter of urgency
begin an investigation into the appearance of those bullion vans.
He added: “You will recall that the Commission has been very hard on members of the opposition including detaining them for weeks on allegations of corruption and has now turned its focus on Yahoo Boys. We cannot as a nation have two separate rules for fighting corruption, one for those opposed to the ruling party and another for supporters of the government.”
Source: The Guardian