The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Uyi Giwa-Osagie, a lawyer to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
Mr Giwa-Osagie, 51, was arrested at his office on Monday for allegedly laundering $2million after he was implicated by a bureau de change operator identified as Abdullahi Usman.
The @officialEFCC should tell Nigerians why they have arrested @Atiku’s lawyer? What is his crime? Who is next? Is it Atiku’s wives or his children? Is Atiku now public enemy? Is that why @MBuhari instigated the election postponement #CoupAgainstNigeria? Why is PMB so desperate?
— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) February 18, 2019
Usman, who owns Hasbunallahu BDC LTD, was reportedly caught travelling with the money by air from Abuja to Lagos.
The Nation quoted an EFCC source as saying: “A BDC operator was intercepted for shipping $2million from Abuja to Lagos for suspected money laundering.
“Upon interception by our detectives, the BDC operator admitted that Uyi Giwa-Osagie actually paid the Naira equivalent of $4million into his account in exchange for hard currency.
“We invited Uyi for interrogation on Monday and Tuesday. Our detectives have also conducted a search of his home. Some useful documents were retrieved. Investigation is, however, still in progress.”
“Apart from documents relating to posh properties at home and abroad, a copy of the EFCC Investigation Report on Atiku’s relationship with a jailed U.S. lawmaker, Williams Jefferson, was retrieved from Uyi.
“An analysis of the account indicated that it yielded over $30million deposits mostly from a firm with a link with the PDP candidate.”
The EFCC has not officially confirmed Giwa-Osagie’s arrest.
