The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the February 23 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, on Saturday said 24 operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested his son-in-law, Alhaji Babalele Abdullahi.
He said Abdullahi, who is
also finance director of Atiku Group of Companies, was arrested after
the EFCC officials in two vehicles, an 18-seater Toyota bus with
registration Abuja CS 522 RSH and a Hilux van, had invaded the Maitama
residence of his son-in-law at about 8.30am.
A statement by
Atiku’s media adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, said the EFCC officials were,
however, not given access into the house until Abdullahi’s lawyers
arrived.
He said, “In a desperate move to have Atiku Abubakar
concede and congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari, officials of the
EFCC at about 8.30am today (Saturday) invaded the Maitama residence of
Babalele. They were, however, not given access into the house until his
lawyers arrived.
“The EFCC agents numbering about two dozens came
in two regular vehicles, an 18-seater Toyota bus (with registration
Abuja CS 522 RSH) and a Hilux van. They came with a search warrant to
search the house and the office of Babalele and found nothing
incriminating.
“They then proceeded to his office at Oakland
Centre in Maitama and found nothing incriminating there. However, they
took away some documents of landed property. Not done, the EFCC
officials stormed his Wuse residence where they again found nothing
incriminating after the search.
“Afterwards, Babalele was taken
away to the EFCC office in Wuse to make a statement alongside Mr Lawan
Ayuba. It was gathered that the petition relied upon to invade the
residence and the office of Babalele was authored by a brother of the
wife of President Buhari.”
Ibe stated that as a law-abiding
citizen, Atiku recognised the constitutional role of the EFCC and indeed
any other agency of the government to carry out investigations, but
would not be cowed by any attempt to blackmail him into mortgaging his
mandate.
The statement reported Atiku as assuring Nigerians that
under no circumstance would he mortgage what he called the mandate of
Nigerians, which he claimed was freely expressed on February 23.
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