- Safiu Kehinde
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has fired back at former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition party, as the agency faulted Atiku’s criticism of its arrest of former Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal.
NPO Reported that Tambuwal was yesterday arrested by the agency over alleged N189 billion fraud.
Atiku, in reaction, took to his X handle on Tuesday to condemn the arrest of the ex-Sokoto governor.
He accused the EFCC of rendering itself a political tool in the hand of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Atiku labelled Tambuwal’s arrest as part of the APC’s strategy to oppress and intimidate opposition figures.
In the same vein, the ADC called out EFCC over the arrest of Tambuwal.
Reacting in a statement issued on Tuesday evening, EFCC described the unprovoked attack from Atiku and the ADC as a rude shock.
The anti-graft agency maintained that it has been dispassionate in the exercise of its fight against corruption.
“The African Democratic Congress, ADC’s unprovoked attack on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, concerning its handling of cases involving politically exposed persons from every divide, came as a rude shock and unwarranted blame game.
“Every objective and discerning watcher of events in the national political scene, would admit that the Commission has been circumspect and dispassionate in the exercise of its mandate.
“These are not fresh cases arising from new evidence but new files opened in reaction to emergent political affiliations to intimidate key opposition figures”, are clearly self-serving, diversionary, narrow and idle.
“The question is, what determines “fresh cases” and old cases? Every corruption allegation deserves to be investigated and there is no constraint of time and season in criminal investigations.” The statement read in part.