Tinubu’s ministerial list: Profile of Abubakar Atiku Bagudu

Abubakar Atiku Bagudu CON, born on December 26, 1961, is a Nigerian politician known for his tenure as the governor of Kebbi State, Nigeria, from May 2015 to May 2023. He had previously served as the Senator for the Kebbi Central constituency of Kebbi State. Bagudu has been involved in various political positions throughout his career, but his reputation has been marred by allegations of corruption linked to the regime of former Nigerian military ruler, Sani Abacha.

Early Life and Education: Hailing from a wealthy family with his father serving as the director of Primary Education in Kebbi, Bagudu pursued his education and earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Economics from Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto. He later obtained a Master of Science (MSc) in Economics from the University of Jos and a Master of Arts (MA) in International Affairs.

Political Career: Abubakar Atiku Bagudu entered the political arena when he succeeded Adamu Aliero after winning the by-election for the Kebbi Central Senatorial seat. He represented the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2011 elections and secured victory with 173,595 votes. Later, he shifted to the All Progressive Congress (APC) during the 2015 General Elections and emerged victorious in the gubernatorial race, becoming the Governor of Kebbi State.

In the 2019 Kebbi State gubernatorial election, Bagudu was re-elected, polling 673,717 votes, while his closest rival, Sen. Isah Galaudu of the PDP, trailed with 106,633 votes. He later contested and won the ticket for the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the upcoming Kebbi Central Senatorial election, which was scheduled to be held in 2023.

Corruption Allegations: Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has faced significant allegations of corruption related to his association with former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha. Abacha’s regime was accused of embezzling more than $2.2 billion of public funds during his presidency in the 1990s. Bagudu was known to be an associate of Abacha and was implicated in multiple investigations involving corruption that occurred during the former dictator’s regime.

In 2003, Bagudu was arrested and extradited from Houston, Texas, to Jersey, where he had established a shell company called Doraville Properties to launder stolen funds from Nigeria. Bagudu reached a settlement, agreeing to return $160 million of stolen money in exchange for deportation to Nigeria to face trial. However, despite considerable evidence from legal authorities in the U.S., Jersey, and Switzerland, Bagudu was never questioned after returning to Nigeria.

The U.S. Department of Justice, in 2014, announced the repatriation of $480 million stolen by Sani Abacha and his co-conspirators. The U.S. government alleged that Sani Abacha, his son Mohammed Sani Abacha, Bagudu, and others “embezzled, misappropriated and extorted billions of dollars from the government of Nigeria and others, then laundered their criminal proceeds through U.S. financial institutions and the purchase of bonds backed by the United States.”

In February 2020, the U.S. government entered into a trilateral agreement with Nigeria and Jersey to repatriate over $300 million in additional money that Bagudu played a role in stealing during the Abacha regime. The U.S. also sought forfeiture of over $177 million in additional laundered funds held in trusts that name Bagudu and his relatives as beneficiaries. Bagudu is currently immune from prosecution due to his position as governor.

Furthermore, Bagudu was among the Nigerians exposed by the 2021 Pandora Papers for concealing illicit funds in offshore shell companies.

Please note that this profile is based on information available up to September 2021. For the most up-to-date information on Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, I recommend consulting more recent sources.