As the arrest and detention of the suspended Central Bank Governor, Goodwin Emefiele and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC enters the second week, the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Timi Frank, said there are more persons to be arrested.
In a statement on Tuesday which he made available to nesmen in Abuja, Frank pleaded with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to arrest some former and serving top officials under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He listed the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, former Attorney-General for the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari as some of those who should be arrested and prosecuted over alleged abuse of their offices.
He also named former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman (now appointed Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Policy Coordination), former Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Bashir Jamo, former Managing Directors and Sole Administrators of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as well as former and immediate past Service Chiefs appointed by Buhari.
He said the named persons ought to be guests of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if President Tinubu was committed to an anti-graft battle.
Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, said: “Nigerians know how agencies, managed or are still being managed by these former and present government officials were run in the most opaque and corrupt manner. The President has no choice but to demand accountability on behalf of the people.
“The suspension and arrest of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele and Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), AbdulRasheed Bawa have been hailed by Nigerians but this is just a tip of the iceberg; the President must not let his anti-corruption drive stop with these two individuals.
“Those that must be investigated and prosecuted are still running free out there and the earlier they are rounded up and made to face the law for economic sabotage, the better for this country. Besides, some of them have already found their way into the present administration like Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman.
“There is further intelligence that others like her are currently lobbying cabal around Tinubu to get a soft landing or better still find their way into the administration by way of appointment.”
Frank insisted that failure to arrest and prosecute these suspects known to have used their offices for selfish gain, would show that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is only out to witch-hunt Emefiele and Bawa now under DSS custody.
He insisted that the ex-officials like Sylva need to answer questions on alleged identity theft, sale of oil blocks, marginal oil fields and refineries.
On her part, Sadiya Umar Farouq needs to tell the DSS and EFCC how money voted for social investment programmes, especially school feeding, was expended.
He urged the EFCC and DSS to extend the probe activities to cover former Service Chiefs and Inspector General of Police from the administration of former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai up to the ones recently retired by the President’s administration.
He further urged Tinubu to be wary of former Governors, especially of the PDP who are now pretending to support his administration. He described their motive as selfish while warning the President not to allow his administration be a dump site for known corrupt elements.