Group withdraws petition to EFCC, ICPC against Abubakar Badaru, apologises to Defence Minister for inaccurate allegations

The Young Guardians of Accountability (YGA), an anti-corruption advocacy group, has withdrawn its petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission and is also committed to rid Nigeria of corruption against the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar Badaru.

In an April 3, 2025, letter addressed to the agencies and signed by its chairman Adediran Raymond, the group stated that its initial petitions of December 17, 2024, were incorrect and thereby warranted immediate withdrawal to avoid victimizing a respected senior official of the Bola Tinubu administration.

Mr Adediran said his group realised after sending the complaint that the minister did not contravene Nigeria’s code of conduct regulations for public officeholders, hence its decision to withdraw the petitions.

“We, the Young Guardians of Accountability, hereby formally withdraw our petition titled Urgent Request for Investigation and Prosecution of Mr Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, Hon. Minister of Defence,” the statement said.

“This decision is based on his recent actions, in which he has committed to fully complying with the relevant provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act. Additionally, he has addressed and rectified some of the concerns raised in our initial petition,” the letter stated.

Mr Raymond and YGA, therefore, apologised to the minister for the inconveniences caused by their inaccurate allegations and praised him for his commitment to the service of his fatherland.