BY DAYO ADESULU
Former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki has indicted the ruling All Progressive Congress, (APC) party for allowing cyber-crime operators to openly display wealth without anti-graft agencies cautioning them.
This came at the backdrop of the APC connecting him to a cyber-crime suspect, Ramon Abbas aka Hushpuppi, who was recently arrested in the United Arab Emirates and extradited to the United States. Saraki described it as irresponsible and cheap politics.
This is contained in a statement titled, “Cyber Criminals: APC ‘s Statement Irresponsible, Says Saraki,” issued on Saturday by the media aide to the ex-Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu.
The APC’s statement, signed by its Deputy Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, had demanded the probe of some Peoples Democratic Party leaders, including Saraki, over their alleged romance with Abbas.
But Saraki in his statement explained that he had no form of association with the said suspect, otherwise known as Hushpuppi and neither did he know him in any way.
It read, “The statement credited to the APC, the ruling party in our country, is one of the ways by which our anti-graft agencies are weakened and why the fight against corruption in the country is often viewed with suspicion by the international community.
“This is because when these cyber-crime suspects were operating freely and openly displaying wealth, the APC saw nothing bad in their activities.
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“Also, the party at that time did not deem it necessary to call on the anti-graft agencies to investigate their activities.
“Also, since the arrest of those cybercrime suspects and the subsequent damage to the image and the economy of Nigeria as well as the crisis it created for Nigerians engaged in lawful businesses across the world, the ruling party had been muted (sic).
“The only time the APC deemed it necessary to make a statement was when it thought it should play dirty, cheap and irresponsible politics.
“Dr Saraki was the only political leader who has publicly made a statement through an Op-Ed article published in the Daily Trust newspaper of July 1, 2020, titled ‘Cyber Criminals: Confronting The Few Who Dent Many.’
“At this point, we call on the APC leadership to rein in the so-called Yekini Nabena and compel him to desist from making and circulating such malicious, odious and offensive claims.”
