53 SUITCASES SAGA: Buhari Blasts Atiku, Jonathan

[valteena]

LAGOS � ECHOES of the 53 suitcases saga of 1984 resounded as an issue in the 2011 presidential campaign, yesterday, with major actors accusing and denying allegations of culpability

The Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, under whose regime as Head of State the suitcases were stowed away from Customs check, told newsmen at a campaign stop in Dutse, Jigawa State, that erstwhile Peoples Democratic Party, PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, was in the best position to explain the issue.

While Atiku in a riposte acquitted himself and blamed �rude and crude� soldiers from Buhari�s headquarters for the slip, the Buhari/Bakare campaign in another statement queried the intentions of the PDP in raising the issue when it alleged that the PDP government was itself rocked with scandals.

The PDP presidential campaign council had at the weekend cited the 53 suitcases saga as evidence of what it claimed as Buhari�s imperfection.

Depletion of foreign reserves

The CPC challenged the PDP to, among others, explain the depletion of the foreign reserve by $30 billion, the award of the Abuja airport runway at a price of N64 billion among other allegations on malfeasances by the present administration.

The 53 suitcases saga arose in 1984 during the currency change exercise ordered by the Buhari junta when it ordered that every case arriving the country should be inspected irrespective of the status of the person behind such.

The 53 suitcases were, however, ferried through the Murtala Muhammed Airport without Customs check by soldiers allegedly at the behest of Major Mustapha Jokolo, the then Aide-de-Camp, ADC, to Gen. Buhari. Atiku was at that time the Area Comptroller of Customs in charge of the Murtala Muhammed Airport.

Responding to enquiries from newsmen on the issue during a campaign stop in Dutse, shortly before a courtesy call on Governor Sule Lamido, Buhari said that Atiku was in the best position to speak on the issue because he was in-charge of the Airport Customs.

He said: �You go and ask him for details. I was in Dodan Barrack as Head of State then. I know my head of protocol, late Ambassador Dahiru, came back from Saudi Arabia together with his three wives and about 15 children.

�Each had their luggage and his hand bag was also counted as one person�s luggage. The other details I cannot speak because I wasn�t there when the incident happened.�

Atiku�s response

Responding, yesterday, Atiku said the issue was well documented in his authorized biography, �Atiku: The Story of Atiku Abubakar� written by Onukaba Adiniyi-Ojo who was at that time The Guardian aviation correspondent and now a top aide of the former Vice-President.

Speaking through his spokesman, Garba Shehu, he said: �In his own account (Adiniyi_Ojo�s) the story is how big men and women consider the observance of laid down procedure as something that is belittling. Soldiers who came to pick the suitcases were rude and crude and threatened Customs officers who had insisted on inspecting the suitcases.�

Details on the 53 suitcases

Buhari�s spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, in another statement giving further details on how the 53 suitcases were ferried into the country said: �In 1984, the Emir of Gwandu whose son was ADC to General Buhari was returning to the country from overseas.

The Head of State on learning of his arrival asked his son to go and receive him at the airport as they were only playing squash at the time.

�Coincidentally, the Nigerian ambassador to Libya at the time, Dr. Tahir Waziri, arrived at the same time with the Emir with his three wives and 16 children.

They all came with their belongings as he was coming home to take up a new appointment as chief of protocol to the Head of State. It was the suitcases of the family of 20 that were counted as belonging to the Emir and falsely presented to the public.

�General Buhari has, over the years, asked those who have questions over the matter to go to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who was at the head of Customs operations at the airport on the day. Now we are further suggesting this as a research topic for a doctoral thesis by the President when he hands over on May 29, 2011.�

Repeated efforts to get a response from the Jonathan campaign team on the issues were not successful yesterday.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/5...tiku-jonathan/

[Osibinaebi]

VALTEE
Haba Valtee babe, you self don join the propaganda team or maybe you did not read the article before posting it........Can you please amend the heading of this thread to reflect the content....... no where did Buhari blast Atiku, it is grossly misleading, all Buhari and his team have done is to absolve themselves and explain that the 53 suitcases did not belong to the Emir of Gwandu. They further referred people to Atiku for clarification since he was the head of the Airport unit and he is still alive..... so do please amend the heading appropriately.... the person blasted was Jonathan

[Mikky jaga]

He said: �You go and ask him for details. I was in Dodan Barrack as Head of State then. I know my head of protocol, late Ambassador Dahiru, came back from Saudi Arabia together with his three wives and about 15 children.

�Coincidentally, the Nigerian ambassador to Libya at the time, Dr. Tahir Waziri, arrived at the same time with the Emir with his three wives and 16 children.

The suitcases apart, what were those children doing in Saudi Arabia when it was the official policy at the time that underaged are not supposed to go for Hadj in Saudi Arabia. Same for Tunde Idiagbon that came back from Mecca on his being overthrown with his obviously underaged son.

Na wah for integrity!!

[emeka008]

The suitcases apart, what were those children doing in Saudi Arabia when it was the official policy at the time that underaged are not supposed to go for Hadj in Saudi Arabia. Same for Tunde Idiagbon that came back from Mecca on his being overthrown with his obviously underaged son.

Na wah for integrity!!

An emir
An ambassador returning from Saudi Arabia
Ambassador's 3 wives
Ambassador's 16 children
Buhari's? / Emir's? / Ambassador's?53 suitcases
Stupendously corrupt customs boss
An iron fisted head of state who nevertheless sends his ADC to go and welcome his father and smoothen the way for 53 suitcases.
Buhari has lost it..

Nothing tells the story of Nigeria better than the shameful act of the above disreputable actors!

[Lalakokofefe]

They all came with their belongings as he was coming home to take up a new appointment as chief of protocol to the Head of State. It was the suitcases of the family of 20 that were counted as belonging to the Emir and falsely presented to the public.

Still does not explain why the suitcases weren't searched .....

Its good anyway. We are slowly getting there. Events of 1984 coming back to bite them in the behind 27 years later.....

LKF

[agensheku]

An emir
An ambassador returning from Saudi Arabia
Ambassador's 3 wives
Ambassador's 16 children
Buhari's? / Emir's? / Ambassador's?53 suitcases
Stupendously corrupt customs boss
An iron fisted head of state who nevertheless sends his ADC to go and welcome his father and smoothen the way for 53 suitcases.
Buhari has lost it..

Nothing tells the story of Nigeria better than the shameful act of the above disreputable actors!

The Holy Book talks of "As it was in the beginning...."

Much as i share your sense of disgust,Buhari may turn round and remind you that Nija has since then made more progress as drums were rolled out recently to welcome an ex-convict jailed by this government while the same man is already back on the Pressy s entourage and is already assisting in "Operation Lagos Tsunami"!!!!

[Osibinaebi]

The suitcases apart, what were those children doing in Saudi Arabia when it was the official policy at the time that underaged are not supposed to go for Hadj in Saudi Arabia. Same for Tunde Idiagbon that came back from Mecca on his being overthrown with his obviously underaged son.

Na wah for integrity!!

MIKKY,
Those kids were coming from Libya where they lived with their Ambassador dad and not Saudi Arabia or returning from Hajj, on Idiagbon, you got that spot on

[Mikky jaga]

MIKKY,
Those kids were coming from Libya where they lived with their Ambassador dad and not Saudi Arabia or returning from Hajj, on Idiagbon, you got that spot on

Maybe you did not read the original story. Yeah, the Ambassador was posted to Libya, but he was arriving from Saudi Arabia at the time of the event.

The relevant portion is quoted below:

He said: �You go and ask him for details. I was in Dodan Barrack as Head of State then. I know my head of protocol, late Ambassador Dahiru, came back from Saudi Arabia together with his three wives and about 15 children.