Activists flooded the streets of Lagos on Saturday, demanding an end to what they deemed as the manipulative use of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to target political opponents. They criticized the EFCC for allegedly bowing to pressure from opposition forces to pursue cases against perceived enemies, particularly in Kogi State.
Under the banner of Citizens Action Against Lawlessness, over 80 Human Rights Civil Society Organizations voiced their opposition to calls for the EFCC to bypass legal processes and arrest former Governor Yahaya Bello. They accused those behind the calls of undermining the rule of law and serving the interests of desperate political figures.
While applauding the EFCC for listening to the voices of impartial Nigerians and civil society groups urging adherence to the rule of law, the activists condemned calls for Bello’s arrest as anarchic. They cautioned the EFCC against being swayed by such demands, emphasizing the importance of upholding integrity and due process.
“The same way this particular group of people have spread falsehood against judges, who they earlier boasted were for them, against prominent figures perceived to be close to President Bola Tinubu, and against APC governors that they felt were supporting them during the election in Kogi and at the Tribunal, is the same way they will turn against the EFCC boss with baseless allegations. It is their stock in trade. The EFCC boss and other relevant authorities must detect this and put them in their place,” Segun Abegunde, Co-Convener of the Joint CSOs platform, said.
Abegunde, who is also the Coordinator of the South West Progressive Youths Organisation stated, “We insist that this is beyond corruption investigation but political persecution. Some sponsored anarchists still went to the EFCC Zonal office today to call on the Commission to use military force to attack the defendant’s known residences and abduct him. There have been insinuations that they are even planning to use fake soldiers in order to inflict maximum damage.”
“The target of these anarchists is to provoke crisis so that a state of emergency can be declared in the state. If they’ve lost at the polls and at the Tribunal, they most likely think they can create a crisis that will still serve their purpose. Why the desperation to hunt the man down at all costs? Many who understand the politics in the state know that these calls are nothing more than a revenge mission for a botched Igala agenda, believed to be the sole fault of Bello, as well as a way for other political enemies in the state to get their pound of flesh,” the activists noted.
According to them, “these anarchists” must be called to order as they have allowed their insatiable appetite for revenge turn them into agents of destruction for the country.
“We call on President Bola Tinubu to call on the security agencies to be at alert as nothing bad must happen to Yahaya Bello or any of his family members.
“Let the courts decide Yahaya Bello’s fate. Desperate opposition forces should not plot to kill him by all means. We demand due court processes. We say no to political persecution. We say no to opposition politicians using EFCC to attack Yahaya Bello who they consider their political enemy.
“EFCC must avoid anarchists bent on tarnishing its image. They should rather sharpen their political skills and leave the anti-graft agency alone. We will always give our unflinching support to the EFCC to carry out its duties strictly in line with the rule of the same law that set it up,” the activists said.
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