After nearly a week in detention and under investigation, the Aide de Camp (ADC) to wife of the President, Chief Superintendent of Police Sani Baba-Inna has been released media reports, quoting his brother, say.
The officer was picked up by the Police following alleged complaints by the President’s wife, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, that he defrauded politicians and others of N2.5 billion.
When Police found nothing incriminating, the First Lady allegedly called in the Department of State Services (DSS)
The story, first broken by Premium Times, spiralled out of control on social media as many took on Mrs. Buhari as to the source of the money. Opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mocked the First Lady over the story.
In a statement, the PDP challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to show his zero tolerance for corruption by allowing for an open inquest into the N2.5 billion scandal.
Aisha in a statement by her Director of Information, Suleiman Haruna denied that she ordered the arrest of Baba-Inna.
The statement read: “The attention of wife of the President, Dr. Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari has been drawn tosome media publications and releases purporting illegal detention of her Aide De Camp (ADC) over allegations of fraud.
“The story as it pertains to her ADC, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Sani Baban-Inna has it that he has been detained on the orders of Her Excellency for dropping her name and defrauding unsuspecting officials and associates. She wishes to use this opportunity to refute such allegation and to state that she has no hand in his arrest and detention.
“CSP Sani Baban-Inna has been her ADC since 2016 and has been associated with her ever since. To the utter dismay of Her Excellency, he has used the opportunity to defraud unsuspecting associates and officials as initial investigations have shown.
“The Nigeria Police Force, his employers arrested him to investigate the allegations leveled against him, this, being within their jurisdiction.
“She therefore wishes to use this opportunity to inform the general public that she has never sent any of her staff to collect any favours on her behalf or on behalf of her children and will never do so. She is therefore imploring anyone that has been defrauded by Mr. Baban-Inna to get across to him to retrieve whatever he took from them. Mrs. Buhari wishes to reiterate that she will not condone fraudulent behavior by any of her staff.
“She uses this opportunity to call on all those in positions of authority to rise above intimidation by their aides and deal with such attitudes as extortion by name-dropping, especially within the Presidency. As she always emphasizes, this government was voted into office based on the trust and confidence of the people.”
But the PDP said that nothing is more scandalous than the fact that while President Buhari is in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York mouthing his war against corruption, a huge broth of corruption, in which his wife is mentioned, is simmering under his own roof.
The statement reads further: “This scandal has further vindicated the stand of the PDP that President Buhari presides over a government of corruption, where his close relatives, officials and a cabal of associates are enmeshed in sleazy deals but parading as saints.
“It is instructive to note that the First Lady has already admitted that her detained security aide defrauded “unsuspecting associates and officials”, a position which inadvertently exposes the attempt by the Police to conceal the matter.
“The PDP and indeed Nigerians have always pointed to the very expensive lifestyle and personal effects, including posh jewelries, daily paraded by close relatives of Mr. President, thus belying gimmicks and stunts of the first family being saintly and pro-poor.
“Also, there have been allegations of acquisitions of sprawling and choice property in Nigeria and other countries by persons close to the President.
“Since the First Lady, in her statement, confessed that her security aide defrauded “unsuspecting associates and officials”, the PDP demands that the aide be promptly docked in an open court and given the opportunity to defend himself and expose his accomplices in the alleged fraud.
“It is common knowledge that aides of former Presidents and those of former First Ladies are currently facing trial in open court over similar allegations and this should not be an exception.
“The PDP, however, hopes that the detained aide will not be ‘escorted’ out of the country to prevent him from opening up, as was the case of disgraced former minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun.
“Moreover, the PDP invites Nigerians to note that the Presidency has suddenly gone dumb on a N2.5 billion fraud under its roof. Does this not amount to admittance of complicity by the Buhari Presidency, which is becoming notorious as a den of certificate forgers and persons of questionable character.
“The PDP therefore holds that since issues have been joined and high profile personalities in the Presidency named, it hopes this matter will not be swept under the carpet.”