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The Action Congress (AC) has asked for clarification on Mallam Nuhu Ribadu's erstwhile official residence, which former FCT Minister, Nasir el-Rufai said was purchased by Ribadu's father-in-law, who has then allowed him (Ribadu) to live there.
The Action Congress (AC) has asked for clarification on Mallam Nuhu Ribadu's erstwhile official residence, which former FCT Minister, Nasir el-Rufai said was purchased by Ribadu's father-in-law, who has then allowed him (Ribadu) to live there.
The party said the decision to seek clarification came after the EFCC issued a statement, saying Ribadu has no property anywhere in the world beyond his personal house in his village, a plot of undeveloped land in the Abuja district of Katampe and an unspecified number of cows.
The EFCC statement also said Ribadu's official residence in Abuja, where he currently lives, was bought with a bank loan by his father-in-law, Prof. Iya Abubakar, when it was publicly auctioned.
'While we did not start the allegation that Ribadu has houses in Abuja and Dubai and have no evidence to prove the allegation, we, however, have reservations about the EFCC's defence of Ribadu over the purchase of his official residence by his father-in-law,'' AC said in a statement, issued in Abuja on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
According to the party's statement: 'At the time Ribadu was offered the EFCC chairmanship, the official residence he was allocated was located at Udi street in Asokoro, but he refused to move there and chose to remain in his police quarters.
However, shortly after that, he lobbied to be allocated one of the residences reserved for DIGs, located at Aso drive, even when he was a DCP at the time. He got the house and lives there till today.
'If it is true, therefore, that Ribadu's father-in-law bought the house, we will like to ask the following questions for the benefit of all Nigerians.
• 'If truly, the DIG residence was officially allocated to Nuhu Ribadu, at what point in time was the allocation made? Or where is the evidence of the allocation?
• 'Why will an officer of the rank of DCP be allocated the official quarters of a DIG?
• 'Why will a serving senator, who is not a policeman, be allowed to bid for the official residence of a DIG?
• 'Why would the late Justice Bashir Sambo, then a serving chairman of the Code of conduct Bureau, be refused his bid to buy his official residence by the same el-Rufai, who then gave Senator Iya Abubakar, who was never a serving police officer, the green light to buy the official residence of a DIG?
• 'Was any other DIG residence sold? If so, how many and who are the buyers?
• 'Nigerians will also want to know in what capacity Ribadu is occupying the house? Is it as a tenant or a son in-law? If the house belongs to his wife, Nigerians would want to know what the wife does for a living."
The AC said it is important to note that at the time the EFCC kangaroo PTDF investigation was carried out, Ribadu said former vice president, Abubakar Atiku and former president, Ibrahim Babangida's sons were holding shares in trust for their respective fathers in a certain company.
'On the basis of this allegation, Babangida's son was arrested and the former vice president was purportedly indicted by Ribadu's EFCC, in order to bar him from contesting the last presidential election.
'If it is true therefore that Ribadu's father in-law, who is not a police officer, bid and bought a DIG's official residence, is this not even worse than the crime Babangida's son was arrested for and upon which Nuhu Ribadu indicted and frustrated Atiku's bid for the presidency?
'We are, however, not surprised that el-Rufai is defending Ribadu and did not see anything wrong in whatever has happened, since he (el-Rufai) also bought the former vice president's guest house located at the same Aso Drive, so that he and his friend (Ribadu) can be close to each other and continue their friendship,'' the party added.