Buhari Urged To Intervene In Sokoto Probe, As Group Accuses APC Senator Of Interference

Sokoto State Progressives for Integrity and Accountable Leadership have written an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, concerning the ongoing probe of the financial activities of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) in Abuja.

The letter, signed by the group’s convener, Muhammadu Mujtaba, and made available to The Guardian, was copied to the Chief Justice of the Federation, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector General of Police, the Chairman of the ICPC, and the Chairman of the EFCC.

The group, which described itself as a bipartisan progressive group residing in Sokoto State, commended President Buhari for his personal integrity and incorruptibility. They recalled the collective struggles in 2015 and 2019 that installed him as the leader of the nation, out of the conviction and trust for his integrity.

However, the group expressed concern about the interference of certain stalwarts of the APC in Sokoto State, who also hold prominent positions in the federal government, in the ICPC/EFCC investigations of the NPTF. They alleged that the senator of the Federal Republic for Sokoto North, and current Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption, the Sokoto State APC leader, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, against whom there is an outstanding petition with the EFCC since 2019, is bringing his official status to bear on the investigation process.

The group further stated that these posturings are creating the wrong impression for President Buhari’s integrity at the twilight of his tenure as President. They viewed the posturings as serious infractions and an infringement on the course of justice, which stand against every fibre of the principle for which President Buhari is renowned.

The group called on President Buhari to intervene and ensure that lawful inquiry into this matter is not subverted for political expediency or any other reason. They stated that the President has the obligation to weigh into this matter in the interest of justice and the opportunity to unearth one of the causes of the inefficiency of the security agencies in dealing with crime and breach of law and order.

The group concluded that the people of Sokoto State have a right to know the moral and ethical credibility of those who aspire to lead them and sit in trust of their resources. Similarly, President Buhari should, as much as possible, endeavor to ascertain the integrity of the potential managers of the system he is leaving behind at all levels of governance.