A former member of the Federal House of Representatives and former Federal Commissioner of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma, has petitioned United States President Donald Trump, requesting a review of a 2006 US financial-crime investigation involving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
In the petition dated September 24, 2026, Agbonayinma urged President Trump to direct the appropriate US authorities to revisit an investigation initiated by a June 22, 2006 letter from the US Attorney’s Office to Nigerian authorities.
He specifically requested a review of the original investigative request and related records, including materials generated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following the US request.
The former lawmaker also called for a fresh examination of the findings of the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations arising from its February 4, 2010 hearing titled Keeping Foreign Corruption Out of the United States: Four Case Histories.
According to Agbonayinma, the historical records referenced in his petition contained allegations relating to bribery, money laundering, wire fraud, conspiracy and other financial transactions involving entities and individuals associated with Atiku.
He, however, stressed that the allegations and investigative findings should not be treated as proof of criminal guilt.
“This call is not a declaration that any individual is guilty of a crime, but a demand that the appropriate authorities examine the historical investigative record and determine whether any matter remains legally actionable,” he said.
The petitioner drew particular attention to the 2010 Senate investigation, which included an “Abubakar Case Study: Using Offshore Companies to Bring Suspect Funds Into the United States.”
He said the congressional investigation examined millions of dollars transferred through offshore entities and US financial institutions, involving individuals and entities including Jennifer Douglas Abubakar, American University in Washington, D.C., Guernsey Trust Company Nigeria Ltd., LetsGo Ltd., Sima Holdings Ltd. and companies associated with Intels.
Agbonayinma, who is from Edo State, also asked US authorities to examine historical EFCC materials and determine whether any of the transactions identified in the congressional record remain within US jurisdiction or could still be subject to legal action.
“If the competent authorities determine that the evidence no longer supports any legal action, they should say so. If, however, there are matters that remain within the jurisdiction of the United States and are legally actionable, then those matters should be addressed in accordance with American law,” he said.
He further urged the US Department of Justice, the FBI and other relevant agencies, where legally permissible, to cooperate with Nigerian authorities on any outstanding cross-border financial-crime matters arising from the historical investigation.
According to him, any renewed examination should take into account due process, applicable statutes of limitation, evidentiary standards, jurisdictional requirements and the presumption of innocence.
Defending the petition as a call for institutional accountability rather than political persecution, Agbonayinma said the objective was to allow the appropriate authorities to determine the legal status of the historical matters.
“Nobody should be above the law. Let the evidence speak. Let the law take its course,” he said.
The petition comes amid renewed public and political attention to historical investigations involving Atiku and other former Nigerian officials. THISDAY previously reported that Agbonayinma had also asked the EFCC to reopen its investigation into allegations involving Atiku during his tenure as vice president.
