An Abuja-based anti-corruption movement, The Integrity Group, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to probe Nigeria’s former first ladies or stop the “seeming witch-hunt” of the country’s immediate-past first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.
Warning that the continued ‘media trial’ of the ex-president’s wife could trigger off more violent reactions in the Niger Delta, the group said the onus is on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC to prove its case rather than asking Mrs Jonathan to explain the source of her wealth.
At a news conference addressed by its Executive Director, Livingstone Wechie, the group contended that; “No Nigerian under any law, including Patience Jonathan is under any obligation to explain how he/she made his/her money. If the EFCC thinks anybody stole money, they should by evidence show how and wherefrom the money was stolen.
“The cumulative value of the monies in the Skye Bank account that Mrs Jonathan claims is less than $10 million. The report credited to the EFCC that the monies were in excess of $30 million is completely false, malicious and misleading and this is deliberate. The EFCC is challenged to provide public evidence of its claim of $31 million lodged in Skye Bank”.
The group added that, “this attack on Patience and Goodluck Jonathan may spark up avoidable security problems in the old Eastern Nigeria and we are willing to support Mr President in averting same.
“As such, our message is, arrest and prosecute all former first families including their aides and seize all their assets and money or leave Goodluck and Patience Jonathan alone and restore all their seized assets”.
