Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has enacted to report that he and his family were under surveillance by the U.S’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, FinCEN, over alleged financial fraud.
Paul Ibe, Atiku’s Spokesperson in a statement issued on Tuesday and made available to Ashenewsonline, said his principal’s attention was drawn to recycled and regurgitated lies about him.
According to the statement, the same lies were reeled out before the last presidential election, which he proved wrong.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Atiku Abubakar is not under any U.S. watch list, neither has he been charged, or will ever be charged by the U.S. Justice Department or any other in a foreign jurisdiction.
“It will be recalled that these recycled lies were re-unearthed just before the Feb. 23 Presidential election, and to put paid to it, Abubakar applied for and received a U.S. visa, whereupon he embarked on a visit to the U.S. on Jan. 17.
“He stayed at a hotel just miles to the U.S Department of Justice.
“Abubakar in the course of that trip was also received in audience by officials of the U. S. Government,” Ibe said.
He said that the new reports were a desperate gambit to recast these discredited accusations.
“They are meant to divert the attention of Nigerians from the recent statement by the Secretary of State of the United States, Mr Mike Pompeo, announcing visa and travel bans for certain unnamed but notorious individuals.
“Moreover, the timing of this report, less than 24 hours after the Edo state gubernatorial elections, should give some thought to thinking people.
“And considering the season that we are in, more of such jaundiced stories seeking to discredit Abubakar would come.”
Ibe further stated that Abubakar and every member of his family kept a clean business portfolio that had nothing to do with government resources and in conformity with local and foreign laws of respective countries.
