Bullion Vans: Take Tinubu Petition Seriously, TI Tells EFCC

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There have been reports, however, that the EFCC had abandoned the petition because of the personality involved.

Anti-corruption group, Transparency International, has advised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to take the petition against All Progressives Congress leader, Bola Tinubu, seriously.

Speaking with The PUNCH on Monday, the Head, Transparency International Nigeria and Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa, popularly known as Rafsanjani, said the EFCC must prove to Nigerians that it is not a partial organisation.

Rafsanjani told The PUNCH that the EFCC had arrested several persons for vote buying during the last elections.

He said the anti-graft agency must therefore not betray the confidence Nigerians had in it.

The TI boss said, “We think that the fight against corruption must be seen to be real and whoever is involved in any act, no matter how powerful, the law must take its course. That is the only way that citizens can continue to have confidence in the anti-graft agency.

“For me, this petition should be taken seriously and the EFCC should not waste time before working on it because similar things happened during the elections where some politicians were arrested with money.

“In this case, nothing has happened to the man (Tinubu) and citizens are calling for action so that there will be no impunity in the system. I think it will be in the interest of the anti-corruption agencies to be proactive and take action that will make citizens have confidence in the anti-corruption war.”

The Convener, Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju; and others including Ariyo-Dare Atoye of the Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution and Adebayo Raphael of the Free Nigeria Movement, had submitted a petition to the EFCC last month.

The activists had asked the EFCC to investigate Tinubu who admitted to having two cash-laden bullion vans on his premises on the eve of the Presidential election in February.

There have been reports, however, that the EFCC had abandoned the petition because of the personality involved.

The EFCC is currently prosecuting the son-in-law and lawyer to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, for allegedly attempting to distribute $2m ahead of the same election.