The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s “continuous disrespect for the rule of law and undue harassment of a citizen of Nigeria” prompted hundreds of civil society organizations (CSOs) to demonstrate in the streets of Lagos yesterday.
The activists expressed outrage over the EFCC chairman’s failure to produce any documentation proving that former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello had received an official invitation.
Despite this, the Commission had declared Bello wanted and had exposed him to “unprecedented and reckless media trials despite a subsisting court order which protected him at the time they laid a siege on his residence.”
The EFCC-Bello controversy, they claimed, seemed to be an instance of focused enmity toward a certain person without any discernible reason.
Prominent human rights and anti-corruption activists, including Debo Adeniran, the chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), spearheaded the demonstration.
Prior to holding the demonstration, the activists gave a press conference.
Adeniran urged the younger people involved to take action and become activists if they hadn’t already, arguing that a society in which enforcement agents disobeyed the law and basic human rights were ignored would not last.
Despite the court’s ruling, the activists said it was disheartening that the agency had so completely abandoned professionalism and was instead engaging the public on a regular basis, threatening people and using forceful tactics.
Claiming that Bello’s life may be in danger due to the EFCC’s persistent attacks, even though he is legally protected, they declared they will fight the EFCC for as long as it takes to follow due procedure.
The EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede was criticized by the human rights activists for his remarks on Tuesday, in which he acknowledged that he had called the former governor. The activists said that this was definitive proof that Bello had not been formally invited by the EFCC to discuss the allegations.
The civic groups condemned the commission for allegedly having a tendency to ignore the rule of law, pointing out that the anti-graft agency’s approach was growing concerning and that the EFCC ought to be put in contempt of court for defying a court order.
The coalition said, “The statement of the EFCC Chairman yesterday (Tuesday) whereby he admitted that he put a call through to the former Governor is clear testimony that the EFCC never formally invited the man.
“The EFCC chairman failed woefully to provide any documentary evidence of an official invitation sent to Yahaya Bello, yet you declared him wanted and have subjected him to unprecedented and reckless media trials despite a subsisting Court order not to harass him.
“It is the exact protection of the court that he sought that the EFCC has wantonly broken multiple times. How do you now expect him to entrust himself to the custody of an agency that has so much thrown away professionalism but playing to the gallery on a daily basis without any legal substance other than the threats and application of brute state force irrespective of what the court says.
“A bad order or ruling or injunction or even judgment can be vacated, appealed, and upturned on the merit of the case by a superior Court.
“But, until that is done, the subsisting order or ruling must be respected and obeyed. As at when they laid siege at 8am and everyone watched live, that interim order was still subsisting.
“In essence, the EFCC has not only disobeyed a lawful court order but has broken it and, therefore, stands in contempt and must be treated as such. There are no two ways about it,” they said
