Governor Ayodele Fayose has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to exercise caution in what it described as indiscriminate arrest of suspects of financial crimes, and warned the agency against executive rascality. Fayose described continued detention without trial of Mr. Warimopei Dudafa, a former Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and invasion of the Abuja residence of former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode as “irresponsible, barbaric and undemocratic”.
According to him, it was the height of executive rascality for the EFCC to have held occupants of Fani-Kayode’s residence hostage for eight hours despite that he was only invited to come to the EFCC office on Monday and there was no evidence that Fani- Kayode refused to honour the EFCC invitation.
His words: “EFCC under President Mohammadu Buhari is acting as if it is above the law and Nigerians and the international community must remind the commission that we are in a democracy where rule of law is sacrosanct.”
Fayose said actions of the EFCC have shown clearly that it was an instrument of victimisation against perceived oppositions in the country, adding the antigraft agency should copy other countries to do its job better. Said he: “The EFCC must be reminded of the judgment delivered in March this year by Justice Yusuf Haliru of the Federal High Court in Nicholas Arinse Vs EFCC & Nigerian Army where the judge held that the EFCC did not behave as if we were in a civilised society and that the anti-graft commission was behaving as if we were in a military dictatorship, where they arrest and release person at will.
“In the case of the former Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to ex-President Jonathan, no one is saying those suspected of corrupt practices should not be investigated and tried, but it is wrong for Warimopei Dudafa to have been kept in EFCC custody for over two weeks without trial. “Also, it is a demonstration of barbarism for the same EFCC that invited Fani-Kayode to its office on Monday to have invaded his house yesterday, holding the occupants hostage for eight hours when there is no evidence that Fani- Kayode refused to honour EFCC invitation,” he said.
It could be recalled that several other suspects, including the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Nigeria Plc Nnamdi Okownkwo have been detained for over a week over alleged violation of Financial Intelligence Unit’s laws on compulsory disclosure and complicity in the $115million election fund former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke for election purposes.
