Posted by By Yusuf Alli and Chijama Ogbu on
Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday alleged that some security agents were on the trail of his bank account.....
Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday alleged that some security agents were on the trail of his bank account and transactions at the Platinum Habib Bank.
Abubakar, who made the disclosure in a text message to the press by his Media Consultant, Mallam Garba Shehu, did not give details.
The message read, "A combined team of security officials, this evening (Wednesday), stormed the headquarters of the Bank PHB at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, where they forcefully obtained the banking records of the vice-president.
"The statement of account contained all his banking transactions."
When contacted on the phone at about 10pm on Wednesday, Shehu merely said that the VP had a clean public record.
He added, "The Vice-President is an honest hardworking businessman cum politician. He has nothing to hide."
Asked to be specific on the agency which drafted its operatives to the bank, he said, "It is a combined team of security agents."
When we sought the reactions of the bank on the phone at about 10.30pm, its Head, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Charles Odibo, could neither deny nor confirm the story. He pleaded for time to reach across to his boss, and promised to call us afterward. But he never did until 11.05 pm when the paper went to bed.
The affected bank emerged on December 31, 2005 from the consolidation of Platinum Bank and Habib Bank.
One of the partners, Habib Bank was established by the acclaimed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief M.K.O. Abiola; a former Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, the late Maj-Gen. Shehu Musa Yar‘Adua; and some foreign investors.
The son of Abiola, Alhaji Kola Abiola, is the current chairman of Bank PHB.
Yar‘Adua was also the political mentor of the vice-president, who manages some of the businesses of the deceased.