Reno Omokri have been backed by thousands of Nigerians on social media, calling for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate Bola Ahmed Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The petition has recorded over 10,000 signatures as at the time of this report.
Asiwaju Tinubu is being called for investigation contravening the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2011, by having bullion vans ferry alleged large sums of money into his house on the eve of the 2019 Presidential election.
It will be recalled that on the eve of the 2019 Presidential elections, drone imagery showed bullion vans ferrying suspected monies into the former Lagos Governor’s Bourdilon residence.
And speaking in an interview on Channel Television, Tinubu, a former Senator, was asked “if the bullion vans ferried money or ballots”, the APC National Leader replied “Is it my money or government money? I don’t work for the government, even if I have money to spend in my premises, what’s your headache?”
However, Reno Omokri quoted the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (and the amendment to the Act in 2012) as prohibiting any individual to accept or make any cash payment that exceeds ₦5 million.
According to him, “Yet, 18 months after this incident, Mr. Tinubu has not been investigated by the EFCC, which has tried others for lesser malfeasances.”
In a statement to journalists on Friday, Omokri said that “By the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment act (2004), the law mandates the EFCC to combat financial and economic crimes.
“The Commission is empowered to prevent, investigate, prosecute and penalise economic and financial crimes and is charged with the responsibility of enforcing the provisions of other laws and regulations relating to economic and financial crimes.”
Recall that Chief Mike Ozekhome, a frontline human rights lawyer, had made a similar call, insisting that Nigerians have the right to demand that the EFCC, investigate the bullion vans sighted in his residence during the last Presidential election.
He had asked the anti-graft agency to act in accordance with the law and investigate the petition written by activists on the bullion vans sighted at Tinubu’s residence.
Also in 2019, Segun Awosanya, popularly known as Segalink, rejected an advice of the EFCC under Magu to write a petition against Tinubu but he responded ‘You don’t need petition.’
He tweeted, “The EFCC in their primitive chest-thumping about Section 7(1) of their Establishment Act of 2004, forgot that they have the same power over the likes of Tinubu as they do over alleged Yahoo boys to act based on probable case. Why expect a petition from us?”
