From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A pressure group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA) has faulted the demand by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the recall former Chief of Army and Ambassador to Benin Republic, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, (retd), to face probe over his alleged connection with the N1.8 billion recovered by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in a property in Abuja.
The opposition party predicated it’s demand on the earlier assertion by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Babagana Monguno, after the exit of Gen. Buratai as COAS , that the $1bn drawn from the national coffers under the APC administration for the purchase of arms to fight terrorism in our country could not be traced
However, in a statement on Monday, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, stressed that the PDP is furiously attacking the former COAS because he is vigorously campaigning for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to win the 2023 general elections.
The group argued that ICPC simply said the money was found in the apartment of an Abuja military contractor and never linked it to Buratai.
Onwubiko said however, some mischievous persons contorted the narrative to mean that Buratai was associated with the filthy discovery.
The PDP, in a statement, subsequently demanded the recall and investigation of Buratai over “suspicion on allegations” of barefaced looting of money meant to equip the security forces.
But reacting, HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “The opposition Peoples Democratic Party took opposition too far by accusing ex-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), of corruption out of the discovery of the ICPC in Abuja.
“HURIWA wonders how a party that wants to win power is behind the spread of fake news by seeking to rope in Buratai into a crime scene that he knows nothing about and for which for now there is no contrary findings to the official statement by the ICPC. It is shocking that a powerful retired military General working in the office of President Muhammadu Buhari who is scared of the rising profile of Ambassador Tukur Yusuf Buratai has gone to hire the opposition political party (PDP) to do this dirty job. This shows how dangerous a mole this unnamed military General is.”
“PDP’s anger is that Buratai retired and enlisted into APC and is campaigning vigorously for APC to win 2023 Presidential poll so PDP is trying to pull him down for political reasons but HURIWA knows certainly that truth and justice will prevail. We also urge members of the pubic to disregard the fake news peddled by people of ill motives who have not successfully substantiated their allegations.”