Former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has a history of smuggling in looted funds into the country to serve his nefarious interests.

The former Vice President said this in reaction to the accusation against him by President Muhammadu Buhari that he is planning to smuggle in looted funds into the country just before the February 2019 election.

Atiku in a statement he personally signed and made available to BusinessDay on Sunday, said this new accusation against him like their previous allegations, is another infantile outburst that tells more about the accuser than Atiku Abubakar.

The statement said further that for the avoidance of doubt, history shows that rather than smuggle in looted cash, the Waziri Atiku Abubakar has a record of preventing looted funds from being smuggled into Nigeria.

“In 1984, it was Atiku Abubakar, as head of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Command of the Nigerian Customs and Excise Department, that stopped the ADC of the then Military Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, from smuggling in 53 suitcases of looted money into the country.

“Young Nigerians and Millennials who may not be aware of this incident, will do well to Google it. Only the guilty are afraid. It is President Muhammadu Buhari who has a history of smuggling in looted funds and not Waziri Atiku Abubakar, the statement said.

Atiku quoted Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, a favourite of the President and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, as saying on October 4, 2010 that “in 1984, Buhari allowed 53 suitcases belonging to his ADC’s father to enter Nigeria unchecked at a time the country was exchanging old currency for new.”

The PDP flag bearer noted that only recently, his plane was searched, his accounts have been perused and his businesses have been thoroughly investigated with a fine tooth and nothing remotely corrupt or illegal has been found.

“In desperation, the Buhari administration released this statement to cover their shame on a day that the US based International Strategic Studies Association reported that it is the unprecedented corruption around President Buhari that has led to the recent setbacks in the war on terrorism in the Northeast and the heavy loss of lives amongst the military rank and file. May God save Nigeria from a government that values money over lives.

“We therefore urge Nigerians to note that it is Muhammadu Buhari who has a history and a record of smuggling in looted funds and it is Waziri Atiku Abubakar who has a history of preventing such from happening.

“And while they are at it, we urge them to tell Nigerians those behind Etisalat, now 9Mobile and Keystone Bank, now Polaris and how they suddenly possessed such wealth overnight.

“Finally, Nigerians should note that the Buhari administration cannot defend their record on jobs and poverty – the things of most concern to voters- thus, their only resort is slander,” the statement said.

•Sourced from a BusinessDay report

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