Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns that Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts are going off course and turning into a political witch-hunt.
Atiku urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-corruption agencies to remove political bias from their work before they lose the trust of Nigerians forever.
His comments came after the arrest and detention of former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
In a statement titled “Anti-Corruption Fight Has Derailed Into a Full-Blown Political Witch-Hunt,” Atiku said the EFCC is moving away from the original purpose it was created for.
Instead of delivering justice, he said, the agency is now using its power to push narrow political goals.
He added that the politicization of corruption cases has damaged the EFCC’s reputation and destroyed the values that led to its creation.
Atiku said, “We expected the EFCC to speak out against appointing former governors with unresolved corruption charges. But loyalty to political parties came before honesty.”
He accused the EFCC of acting like a “political rottweiler,” used to pressure politicians into joining the ruling APC party. Once they comply, their corruption cases disappear.
Atiku called the EFCC’s focus on Malami “shameless” and criticized the selective way the agency is handling corruption investigations.
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