Presidency Backs EFCC as Atiku’s Son-in-Law Declared Wanted

The Presidency has expressed support for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the anti-graft agency declared Abdullahi Haske, businessman and son-in-law to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, wanted over alleged criminal conspiracy and money laundering.

Haske, founder of AA & R Investment Group, was placed on the EFCC’s wanted list after allegedly breaching the terms of his administrative bail and failing to honour repeated invitations.

According to an EFCC insider, the businessman had been under investigation for several months before disappearing. “His case with the EFCC has been ongoing for some time, and he was duly invited. He was expected to report regularly to the commission as investigations progressed, but after securing bail, he went into hiding. His refusal to appear is the reason he was declared wanted” the source explained.

In a public notice signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC urged Nigerians with information on Haske’s whereabouts to contact the nearest police station or any of its offices nationwide. The notice also listed his last known addresses in Ikoyi and Victoria Island, Lagos, while providing hotlines and an email for tips.

Haske’s firm, AA & R Investment Group with business interests in energy, agribusiness, logistics and ICT has previously been linked to investigations involving alleged multimillion-dollar transfers from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

Reacting to the development, Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, accused the Tinubu administration of political persecution. “Our concern is that we hope the young man is not being victimised on account of being an in-law to the former Vice President. Tinubu has shown the capacity to use the instrument of the state to harass and intimidate opposition” Ibe told reporters.

The Presidency, however, dismissed the claims as baseless. Speaking through Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Sunday Dare, it insisted that the EFCC was carrying out its lawful mandate. “There is no harassment or victimisation here, only the independent and lawful operation of Nigeria’s anti-corruption institutions. No one is above the law” Dare said.

He further emphasized that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was committed to due process and strengthening state institutions, contrasting it with past governments accused of politicising anti-graft agencies. “Those attempting to politicise the arrest of a son-in-law to a former Vice President are simply grasping at straws. Without strong institutions that act without fear or favour, no country can truly progress. The EFCC is performing its statutory duties, and this administration will never weaponise state powers for political witch-hunts” Dare added.