Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has described the continued detention of a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Warimopei Dudafa, and Friday’s siege on the home of a former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as the height of “executive rascality”.
The governor said the EFCC operatives must understand that the nation is currently running a democratic system in which respect for the rule of law is sacrosanct.
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Mr. Fayose condemned the siege laid on Mr. Fani-Kayode’s home despite an invitation by the EFCC for the former minister to appear on Monday at its headquarters for questioning.
“The EFCC under President Muhammadu 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”, Mr. Fayose said.
He recalled that the EFCC was recently upbraided by a judge for the uncivilised manner the agency treats suspects.
“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.
“Why the show of barbarism by the EFCC as if Nigeria is now back to 1984 when Buhari was a military dictator?” the governor questioned.
While calling on the international community to pay attention to the abuse of rights of citizens and threat to democracy under the Buhari administration, Gov. Fayose noted that “it is obvious that democracy in Nigeria is becoming unsafe in the hands of Buhari’s government”.
He said Nigerians must begin to ask the EFCC what happened to the several petitions written against APC leaders and financiers of the president’s election, including ex-governors, adding that it was disturbing that the EFCC and Department of State Services, DSS, have become tools of political persecution in the hands of President Buhari.
