Atiku’s 2006 US Investigation Returns to Spotlight as Ex-Lawmaker Seeks Trump Review
Atiku’s 2006 US Investigation Returns to Spotlight as Ex-Lawmaker Seeks Trump Review
By Akin Alade
A long-running financial investigation involving former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has returned to public attention after former federal lawmaker Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma petitioned United States President Donald Trump for a fresh review of records connected to the case.
Agbonayinma, a former member of the House of Representatives and former Federal Commissioner of the Code of Conduct Bureau, wants relevant U.S. authorities to revisit a June 2006 request by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to Nigerian authorities and examine related investigative materials generated in Nigeria.
The petition also asks for renewed examination of records from a February 2010 hearing by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which examined alleged offshore financial transactions involving entities and individuals associated with Atiku. The congressional inquiry included an “Abubakar Case Study” concerning the movement of funds through offshore companies and U.S. financial institutions.
Agbonayinma has, however, stressed that his petition does not amount to a declaration that Atiku committed a crime. He is asking U.S. authorities to determine whether any aspect of the historical investigation remains legally actionable, taking into account evidence, jurisdiction, due process and applicable statutes of limitation.
The development comes only weeks after the former lawmaker separately asked Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to revisit allegations linked to Atiku’s activities between 2005 and 2006, when he was vice-president. The request reportedly relied on an EFCC investigation and report from September 2006.
Atiku has responded to the renewed allegations by maintaining that he was never convicted despite investigations by Nigerian institutions during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He has also challenged anyone with evidence of wrongdoing to bring it forward.
The renewed attention is particularly significant because Atiku is currently a major opposition political figure and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Consequently, the reopening of discussion around historical investigations has introduced another layer to the political scrutiny surrounding his public career.
For now, the latest development is a petition for review, not a new finding of criminal liability. Whether U.S. authorities will examine the historical records, determine that further action is possible, or conclude that the matter is legally closed remains for the competent authorities to establish.
