Former presidential spokesperson and widely-known newspaper columnist Reuben Abati were arrested on Monday by detectives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), SaharaReporters has learned. He was picked up in Abuja accused of receiving N50million from former NSA Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
Also under arrest is the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed.
EFCC operatives searched the home of the former minister, who has been implicated in a series of billion-naira frauds relating to one of his sons, as well as former First Lady Patience Jonathan.
Dr. Abati was appointed Special Adviser on Media by President Goodluck Jonathan following the 2011 election. Since losing that position last year, he has taken no employment.
He, however, returned to his column at The Guardian, from where he had gone into government. Only on October 14 in that column, he published “The Spiritual Side of Aso Villa”, the seat of the presidency, in which he asserted that despite meaning well, President Jonathan and his government were held in “spiritual bondage” by unknown forces.
It is as yet unclear what charges the EFCC has against him.
