A Northern group, Arewa Think Tank (ATT) has dismissed a petition submitted by what it called a faceless group to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corruption Practices Commission (ICPC) to investigate and prosecute the minister of defence, Muhammed Abubakar Badaru, over alleged abuse of office.
The convener of ATT, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, in a statement yesterday, said, “Nigerians should not introduce ethnicity in the good works that Badaru is doing in the defence ministry because if he is not doing well, President Bola Tinubu would have removed him long ago. But the president has confidence in him and his performance. So those hiding under this petition through this faceless group to pull down the minister are doing so out of sheer envy. They are envious of the ministerial position of Badaru. And we are bold to tell such unpatriotic persons that there is no vacancy in the Ministry of Defence. They should beam their poor searchlight somewhere else.
“We also want to say that the petition that Mohammed Badaru Abubakar maintains directorship in private companies, in violation of federal law prohibiting public officers from engaging in private business activities, is nothing but deliberate lies cooked up from the pit of hell.”
He said the faceless group wrote, “Shockingly, Mr Abubakar continues to file annual returns for these companies, with records as recent as last year. Most egregiously, he operates a licensed Bureau de Change (BDC) while holding a federal ministerial position, flagrantly disregarding the laws designed to prevent conflicts of interest and corruption.”
“Arewa Think Tank finds this accusation not only as a figment of imagination but a calculated attempt to incite relevant stakeholders against the performing minister of defence,” he added.
ATT demanded that the EFCC and ICPC conduct a thorough inquiry to establish the genuineness of this faceless group and ascertain their real intention to write against the minister’s asset declarations.
“We believe that a complainant can turn accuser; therefore, we wish to urge the anti-graft agencies to enforce stricter investigations of the petitioners’ backgrounds, as they may have disregarded the principles of due process expected of factual petitioners.
“We want to say categorically that the action of the faceless petitioners suggests a threat to the nation’s security; therefore, such action should be nipped in the bud without delay.
“The Ministry of Defence, a cornerstone of Nigeria’s security, cannot be ridiculed by individuals who want to rock the sailing boat in the middle of the sea. Where were these petitioners when Badaru passed all the processes to become the ministers of one of the sensitive ministries in the country? We want to believe that the petitioners are to rubbish the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu. But they will never succeed.
“We trust that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will act decisively to ensure that these petitioners are exposed with their evil intentions to rubbish the Minister of Defence, Muhammed Abubakar Badaru,” the statement read.
