The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), AbdulRasheed Bawa, has said the former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is under investigation.
In an exclusive interview published by ThisDay, Bawa responded:
“You asked me a question earlier about arresting people before investigation and now you are saying why didn’t we arrest Tinubu? Why didn’t you just say ‘arrest him?”
“Investigation is ongoing. When you are investigating matters like this, they don’t end in a day.”
The wealth of the former Lagos State governor has been a major conspiracy theory spinner for more than a decade. Tinubu has been accused of controlling the finances of Alpha Beta Consulting and for using the company to divert Lagos State funds.
A former managing director of the firm, Dapo Apara accused the company, Tinubu and Akin Doherty, a former commissioner in Lagos, of money laundering, fraud, tax evasion and sundry corrupt practices in a 40-page write-up he submitted to a Lagos high court in 2020 .
The convener of Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju also submitted a petition to the EFCC to investigate Tinubu on Friday October 25th 2019, over the source of the money conveyed in bullion vans to his house in Ikoyi on the eve of the 2019 presidential election
“To the best of our knowledge, Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a private citizen who ordinarily should not be seen with a convoy of Bullion Vans,” Adeyanju said after submitting the petition.
“The commission would recall that it was reported all over the news that Bullion Vans allegedly containing an undisclosed amount of cash were seen entering the home of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State on the eve of Nigeria presidential election. Tinubu himself admitted to this fact While responding to questioning by journalists.” the petition reads.
Bawa didn’t state what the commission is investigating the former governor on. The EFCC chairman, however, stated that investigation does not end in a day, noting that investigations can take a longer time, to get to the root of the matter for more evidence.
“You understand? You know you are from the media. After you will say we are doing media trial.”