CCB Invites Festus Keyamo Over ‘Money Laundering’ Petition Against Atiku

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) is set to probe the diversion of public funds by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Festus Keyamo, spokesperson of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, had accused Atiku of diverting public funds through special purpose vehicles while he was Nigeria’s vice-president.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment had given the CCB a 72-hour ultimatum to “arrest, invite, interrogate and prosecute” Atiku for the alleged offences.

In 2022, Atiku was caught on tape admitting to his involvement in a complex conspiracy that for years took advantage of federal contracting expenditures.

The viral audio was shared by Atiku’s former aide, Michael Achimugu, revealing where the former vice-president was narrating how he took charge of setting up onshore shell businesses to serve as a conduit for syphoning significant funds from public works contracts for himself and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

But the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council dismissed the allegations, saying that Achimugu was being sponsored by the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, to distract Nigerians.

Following Achimugu’s revelation, Keyamo filed petitions to law enforcement agencies including the CCB; the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), asking them to arrest Atiku.

In a letter dated March 28, the CCB invited Festus Keyamo to the bureau’s office in Abuja to adopt his petition and to help it to secure the presence of Achimugu as it is set to commence investigation into the case.

Keyamo Chambers disclosed this in a statement on Thursday signed by its Assistant Head of Chambers in Lagos, John Ainetor.

It reads, “The Code of Conduct Bureau is set to commence investigation of Atiku Abubakar over the diversion of public funds whilst he was Vice-President of Nigeria through Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV).

“The Bureau has invited our client Mr. Festus Keyamo to come forward to adopt his petition and to help it to secure the presence of the whistleblower, Mr. Michael Achimugu to assist in the investigation,” Ainetor said.

“Mr. Keyamo assures that the crusade for accountability in respect of this issue was not a campaign gimmick as he promises to follow it through to a logical conclusion, even after the victory of the President-Elect, ASIWAJU Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

A copy of the invitation letter showed that Keyamo was invited via a letter dated March 28, 2023, and signed by SP Gwimi, CCB’s Director of Investigation, Intelligence and Monitoring on behalf of the Chairman of the bureau.

KanyiDaily recalls that Atiku Abubakar had recently filed a petition against Bola Tinubu’s victory, asking the court to declare him as the right winner of the presidential election.