The Buhari Media Organization (BMO) has described the hue and cry over checks conducted on the luggage of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on his arrival in a private jet at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as one of the series of the scaremongering plans which the party had designed ahead of the 2019 general elections.
“This is almost certainly the first of a series of scare mongering agenda hatched in Dubai to paint President Muhammadu Buhari in bad light.”
In a statement today, Tuesday, the group’s chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke accused Atiku and the PDP as well as his media handlers of deliberately misrepresenting a search that was clearly in line with international best practices.
They said that international protocol allows only Presidents and Vice Presidents to be exempted from security screening at any airport in the world, adding that the Presidential task force on trans-border cash movement which is saddled with the responsibility of stemming illicit movement of foreign currencies into and out of the country owes it a duty to ensure clean jobs.
“This task force consists of Immigration, Customs and other security agencies and is known to approach all arriving international aircraft for routine search.
“We know that when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was in the Customs, he would not condone a situation where his men would neglect to conduct security screening of an incoming private aircraft, regardless of the calibre of individuals on board.
“In fact, was it not the same Atiku Abubakar that led the task force that conducted a search that led to the discovery of a huge cache of cash in an aircraft in 1984?”
Buhari Media Organisation said that if Atiku’s claim that it was the first time he was searched in this country is true, something must have seriously gone wrong with the nation’s security system.
“Let’s not also forget that an elder states man of the calibre of Paul Unongo had alleged in an interview that self same Atiku Abubakar is one of those top Nigerians funding, arming and generally aiding rampaging Fulani herdsmen in their onslaught against the people of Benue, Plateau and Taraba States. It follows of course that he deserved closer monitoring by security agencies.”
The group however said that it was not surprised that the PDP candidate and his allies chose to play to the gallery as a result of what airport authorities have said are routine checks.
“The immediate reaction showed that it was an orchestrated move to embarrass the authorities.
“Those that took to Twitter had probably put together drafts and were waiting for the go-ahead to push out false narratives with the usual refrain of “attack on our democracy.”
It noted that all the opposition figures condemning the security checks on the former vice president would gladly subject themselves to airport security in other countries.
“We have it on good authority that former vice president Atiku even claimed to have lost the key to one of his luggage.
“It is not possible for him or his aides to tell that to any airport security personnel anywhere in the world, no matter how lowly ranked.”
