The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo(SAN), on Friday, approached the Federal High Court, Abuja seeking an order to compel the arrest and prosecution of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar.
Keyamo sued Atiku along with the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB; Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as the 2nd to 4th defendants.
According to the Director of Public Affairs of the Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2023 presidential election, he was seeking a declaration of the court that Atiku, “is under a legal obligation to make available to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants, for the purpose of aiding their investigation.
Keyamo stated in his suit that information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float, and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, on how the said accounts were used as a: Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007, when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria;
“A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 1st Defendant is under a legal obligation to submit himself to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants for a thorough investigation in connection with information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.
“A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants are under a legal obligation to invite and/or arrest, investigate and (if found wanting) prosecute the 1st Defendant in respect of the information available to the 1st Defendant in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.
“A mandatory order of this Honourable Court compelling the 1st Defendant to make available to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants, for the purpose of aiding their investigation, information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.
“A mandatory order of this Honourable Court compelling the 1st Defendant to submit himself to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants for thorough investigation in connection with information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria”.
“A mandatory order of this Honourable Court compelling the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants to invite and/or arrest, investigate and (if found wanting) prosecute the 1st Defendant in respect of the information available to the 1st Defendant in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria”.
It would be remembered that Keyamo in his letter on January 16, called for Atiku’s arrest, interrogation and prosecution for alleged money laundering.
In the letter, Keyamo observed that the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, should be invited by the relevant anti-corruption agencies, because of indicting revelation by a whistleblower, identified as Michael Achimugu who claimed to be a former aide of Atiku.
