The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday demanded the investigation of former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd), over the recovery of N1.8 billion from a private property in Abuja.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) last week recovered the money, pieces of jewelry, and expensive cars hidden in the said property.
The ex-army chief has been linked to the property.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party its demand for Buratai’s investigation was predicated on a statement credited to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-Gen. Babagana Monguno, about a missing $1billion set aside for the purchase of arms for troops fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.
Buratai was the chief of army staff at the time Monguno raised the alarm on missing funds.
The statement read: “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.
“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 a 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.”
