Alleged N1.8bn loot: PDP demands Buratai’s investigation

Alleged N1.8bn loot: PDP demands Buratai’s investigation

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for the investigation of former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd) over the N1.8 billion recovered from a private property in Abuja last week.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had recovered the money from a certain military contractor.

Gen. Buratai who is Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, has since denied any links to the money.

But in a statement on Sunday by the spokesman for the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, the party called for Buratai’s immediate recall and investigation.

The PDP predicated its call for Buratai’s investigation on an earlier statement by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-Gen. Babagana Monguno, that $1billion meant for the purchase of arms to fight terrorism could not be traced.

Buratai was the COAS at the time the money allegedly got missing.

The NSA had quoted a former COAS, Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru to have said that neither the arms nor the $1billion could be accounted for.

Incidentally, Gen. Attahiru died in a military air crash in Kaduna over a year ago.

It would be recalled that the NSA had denied the allegation of the missing $1 billion a few days after he made the statement.

The PDP said: “That assertion by the NSA heightened suspicion on allegations of barefaced looting of money meant to equip our security forces. Such corruption under the APC administration has led to the upsurge in unhindered terrorism attacks, mass killing of citizens and loss of many of our gallant fighters in the front in the last seven years.

“It is therefore of serious interest to Nigerians when reports that the ICPC discovered the sum of N1.8 billion in various currencies, expensive cars and jewelries secreted in a property in Abuja allegedly linked to the former COAS broke out.

“There are already apprehensions that the discovered money is part of the security fund that was criminally diverted.

“This is especially against the backdrop of the frenzy and spirited efforts by certain quarters linked to the APC to suppress investigation and free flow of information, politicise the matter and sweep it under the carpet.

“Nigerians will recall that our party has on several occasions alerted that the looting of our treasury is officially sanctioned and enabled by the APC administration with its refusal to prosecute those who were alleged and found to have been involved in massive corruption.

“It would also be recalled that the PDP drew attention to plans of the APC to create a slush fund account from monies fraudulently drawn from the national treasury to finance their plot to rig the 2023 general elections.

“This is evidenced by the massive use of money by the APC to prosecute a vote buying scheme in the recent Ekiti State governorship election.

“The prevalence of vote buying in that election by the APC was even acknowledged by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, which prompted the INEC Chairman to demand for speedy trial of those arrested for vote buying in the Ekiti State election.

“The reports of massive looting by APC leaders and their cronies in government Ministries, Departments and Agencies further confirm the APC administration as a haven for treasury looters.

“Moreover, the recently exposed looting of N80bn by the suspended Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, which investigation has now gone cold, is suspected to have been engineered by the cabal at very high level of the APC administration.

“The PDP, standing with Nigerians, insists that Gen. Buratai should return to the country and personally face investigation to clear his name”.

The party said any allegation bordering on looting of funds meant for the fight against terrorism is of grave national concern and consequence.

Such allegations, the PDP said, must be thoroughly investigated and anybody found wanting must be made to face the full weight of the law no matter how highly placed.