Bullion Vans: EFCC chair, Magu reacts to petition against Bola Tinubu

The acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has refused to comment on the petition filed by an activist, Deji Adeyanju, demanding an investigation into reports that cash-carrying bullion vans were seen at the home of the former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, a day before the 2019 presidential election.

The armoured vehicles usually deliver large sums of money to banks.

Magu refused to answer a question thrown at him on the petition against Tinubu while addressing a press conference on internet fraud at EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja.

When asked what EFCC was doing about the petition against Tinubu, Magu said: “Do you expect me to respond on the petition?”

On February 22, photos emerged on social media of two bullion vans entering Mr Tinubu’s property in Lagos.

The former governor is a top leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. He played influential roles in President Muhammadu’s election and reelection in 2015 and 2019.

Mr Tinubu’s action was widely deemed as violating Nigeria’s anti-money laundering laws.

Mr Tinubu later admitted the bullion vans were conveying money to his house, but defended his action, saying he did nothing wrong because he was not a government official.

It was reported how Nigerians pressured the anti-graft office to open a money-laundering probe against Mr Tinubu.

Several months after the incident, the EFCC has refused to probe the case despite mounting calls from Nigerians and civil society organisations.

In October, the EFCC said on Twitter it failed to act because there was no petition. The agency dared a social media activist, Segun Awosanya, to send a petition against Mr Tinubu.

Newsflash247 had earlier reported that convener of Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju had recently submitted a petition to the EFCC to investigate Tinubu over the source of money allegedly conveyed in bullion vans to his residence during the 2019 Presidential election.

In the petition, the group had said: “To the best of our knowledge, Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a private citizen who ordinarily should not be seen with a convoy of Bullion Vans.

“Recall that it was reported all over the news that Bullion Vans allegedly containing an undisclosed amount of cash were seen entering the home of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State on the eve of Nigeria’s presidential elections. Tinubu himself admitted to this fact while responding to questions by journalists.

“What are Bullion Vans doing in the house of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu?

“Who owns the content, believing to be cash in the Bullion Vans that were seen entering the house of Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the eve of Nigerian presidential elections?

“Has the commission, based on its core mandates, investigated the source of the Bullion Vans?

Adeyanju had called on the commission to swing into action and begin an investigation into the appearance of those Bullion Vans.

“We cannot as a nation have two separate rules for fighting corruption, one for those opposed to the ruling party and another for supporters of the government,” he had said

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