Atiku raises alarm over suspicious credit to private bank account

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has raised an alarm over a suspicious credit into one of his private bank accounts domiciled with one of Nigeria’s leading commercial banks.

Atiku, who is also the 2027 Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the bank transfer
originated from a person totally unknown to him with the narration “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”

The former Vice President, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said neither him nor his campaign solicited, authorised or has any knowledge of the individual or entity behind the unauthorized payment.

The statement noted that “understandably, the circumstances surrounding the transfer are deeply troubling to His Excellency. The account is a strictly private one whose details are not in the public domain. This raises a fundamental question: How did unknown persons obtain the confidential banking details of a private citizen?

“If the private banking information of a former Vice President and a leading presidential candidate can be accessed and deployed for reasons yet unknown then no Nigerian’s financial privacy is safe. Even more disturbing is the suspicion that such confidential information may have been obtained through persons with privileged access. If established, this would amount to a grave abuse of power capable of exposing the account holder to kidnappers, terrorists, bandits, fraudsters and other criminal elements.

“We therefore put the Nigerian public – and the security agencies – on notice about this latest incident in a litany of suspicious activities leading up to next year’s general elections.

“As political activities gather momentum, Nigerians should not be distracted by these tired tactics that smack of character assassination. Such desperate antics have failed before and will fail again. The Waziri Adamawa remains focused on offering Nigerians credible leadership and practical solutions to the nation’s challenges. “