The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate in the just concluded election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has condemned the continued detention of his lawyer and son-in-law by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The ex Vice President expressed his disappointment over the situation via his official twitter handle in a message on Monday.
He wrote “My son-in-law and lawyer have been detained, one for 3 weeks and the other recently. They are paying the price for supporting me. I urge those now persecuting them to remember that a government’s mandate is to pursue peace and justice for all, and not just those who support them.”
Atiku’s son-in-law, Alhaji Babalele Abdullahi’s arrest by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) was made known in a statement by the Media Adviser to the PDP candidate, Paul Ibe.
According to the statement Ibe said “Babalele’s ordeal was part of moves to cajole Atiku into congratulating President Muhammadu Buhari who was declared re-elected by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC of the presidential election.”
It was made known by Ibe that EFCC operatives were not allowed into the house until Babalele’s lawyers arrived.
The statement read “The EFCC agents numbering about two dozen came in 2 regular vehicles, an 18-seater Toyota bus (registration Abuja CS 522 RSH) and a Hilux van.
“They came with a search warrant to search the house and office of Babalele and found nothing incriminating.
“They then proceeded to his office at Oakland Centre in Maitama and found nothing incriminating there.
“However, they took away some documents of landed property. Not done, the EFCC officials stormed his Wuse residence where they again found nothing incriminating after the search.
“Afterwards, Babalele was taken away to the EFCC office in Wuse to make a statement alongside Mr. Lawan Ayuba.”
In addition, the statement said that Atiku “recognizes the constitutional role of the EFCC and indeed any other agency of the government to carry out investigations, but will not be cowed by any attempt to blackmail him into mortgaging his mandate.”
