EFCC Arrests Atiku’s Son-in-Law

•I won’t be cowed to mortgage people’s mandate, says former VP

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Saturday arrested Alhaji Babalele Abdullahi, son-in-law of the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Atiku in a statement Saturday by his media aide, Mr. Paul Ibe, said the desperate move by the presidency against Babalele, Atiku’s company’s Finance Director, was to force him to concede defeat and congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari.

Against the backdrop of the invasion, the former vice president assured Nigerians that under no circumstance would he mortgage the mandate of Nigerians as freely expressed on February 23.

He stated, “In a desperate move to have Atiku Abubakar concede and congratulate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at about 8.30am today (Saturday) invaded the Maitama residence of Babalele. They were however not given access into the house until his lawyers arrived.

“The EFCC agents numbering about two dozens 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.”

Atiku revealed that the petition relied upon to invade the residence and office of Babalele was authored by a brother of the wife of President Buhari.

He added that Babalele was later taken away to the EFCC office in Wuse to make a statement alongside Mr. Lawan Ayuba.

“As a law abiding citizen, Atiku Abubakar 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,” Atiku added.
The EFCC has yet to comment of the arrest.