Atiku raises alarm over suspicious credit to private bank account

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns after an unexpected payment was made into one of his private bank accounts. The development was disclosed on Friday in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, who said the transaction had raised questions about the safety of the former vice president’s confidential banking information.

According to the statement, the payment came from an individual unknown to Atiku and carried a description indicating it was meant for an election campaign contribution. The statement explained that neither Atiku nor his campaign requested, approved or had prior knowledge of the transfer or the person behind it.

The former vice president said the situation was troubling because the affected account is a personal account whose details are not publicly available. He questioned how unknown individuals obtained the banking information and said the incident raised concerns about the security of private financial records in the country.

Atiku warned that if the banking details of a former vice president and presidential candidate could be accessed without his knowledge, ordinary Nigerians could also face similar risks. He said the incident had created concerns about the level of protection available for citizens’ financial information.

He also expressed fears that the account details might have been obtained through people with authorised access to confidential records. According to him, if such access was abused, it could expose account holders to criminal activities, including fraud, kidnapping, terrorism and other security threats.

The ADC presidential candidate said security agencies had been informed of the incident. He described it as one of several developments that have raised concerns as political activities continue ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Atiku further appealed to Nigerians not to allow such incidents to divert attention from national issues. He maintained that he remains focused on presenting practical solutions to the country’s challenges and pursuing his campaign ahead of the next presidential election.