My Arrest By EFCC Clear Case Of Witch-hunt – Secondus

The embattled Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, has acknowledged receiving for his personal use, gifts of cars and buses in the last ten years from Jide Omokore, a close business associate of the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
He was reacting to his detention last week Tuesday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over the car gifts from the businessman, who he said has been his friend for over 20 years.
Mr. Secondus was released last night by the EFCC, which aside confiscating his passport, ordered him to produce two sureties with a N750 million bond each.
The sureties must also be Federal Civil Servants on Grade Level 17.
But in a statement he personally signed on Thursday, the PDP chief lamented the stringent conditions attached to his bail just as he fingered a Minister from Rivers State as being behind the misrepresentation of the facts of the case against him in the media.
Read his full statement below:
On Tuesday 23rd February, I honoured an invitation from the EFCC to clarify issues related to an ongoing investigation by EFCC. They confronted me with allegations of receiving some cars from Mr. Jide Omokore who has been my friend for over 20 years.
I admitted to them that Mr. Jide Omokore has given me car gifts on several occasions in the last 10 years for my personal use.

I want to state categorically that what I received from my friend, Jide Omokore were cars and buses supplied by a well-known car company, Skymit Motors apparently from a credit facility Mr Omokore has with the company. I don’t have any knowledge of the so-called transaction the investigators are alleging he had with NNPC.

Against this background, it is most disheartening that the facts of the matter under investigation have been grossly misrepresented in the media, apparently under inducement by some political opponents in the APC particularly, a Minister from Rivers State.

This is in line with the strategy of the ruling Party to hide under the anti-corruption fight to humiliate the leadership of our Party.

I have been granted bail under very stringent conditions after 8 days in detention. Since the EFCC did not establish any case against me, I find my needless detention a clear case of witch-hunt and pure political persecution that has become a stock in trade of the APC government.

My immediate concern is the denial of the fundamental human rights, excessive physical incarceration and the orchestrated negative media campaign completely skewed against those being investigated.

Nevertheless, I hereby restate my confidence in the rule of law and the relevant institutions for the resolution of this matter on its merit in the interest of justice.