85 CSOs Carpets EFCC Over Reckless Shopping For Court Orders, Ask Justice Nwite to recuse himself of Kogi Corruption Cases, says Oricha is yet to be invited, queries need for arrest warrant
A coalition of eighty five registered Civil Society Organizations under the auspices of Coalition of Civil Society against Injustice in Nigeria have taken a swipe at the anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over what is calls reckless shopping for arrest warrant for individuals without due process and in manners that suggests persecution rather than prose of perceived corrupt office holders.
While accusing the agency of abusing processes, the group wondered why EFCC was in desperate search for an arrest warrant against the duo of Abdulsalamu Hudu and Umar Shuaibu, without extending invitations to them.
While Abdulsalamu Hudu served in the administration of the immediate governor Yahaya Bello, Umar Shuaibu Oricha is the Director General of Government House, Kogi State.
In a statement on Friday in Abuja, the CSO members numbering in their hundreds and led by its national coordinator, Dr. Benard Orji also wondered why EFCC has not been able to concentrate on one court to prosecute its case against the duo, but resorting to jumping from one court to the order in search of what it cannot get in a fair process.
He said the commission has demonstrated high level of desperation by seeking arrest of people that have not been invited for questioning for any perceived wrongdoing. The coalition says this action shows that the EFCC is persecuting instead of Prosecuting, an action it describes as politically motivated and putting the country’s fight against corruption in a bad light in the eyes of the international community.
He said, “It is on record that this leadership of EFCC has demonstrated an unassumingly disturbing level of abuse of both court processes, human rights and made mockery of whatever decency stands for.
“We must also remind the commission that it has continued to oscillate from one court to another, begging cap in hand what it knows will only be gotten in a skewed process. He argued that Justice Nwite of the Federal High Court is behaving as if he is on a mission alongside with EFCC different from what the law requires and what is obtainable in the fight against corruption anywhere all over the world.
“It is absurdity to deploy blackmail and intimidation in the so called fight against corruption. Most disturbing, it casts a big dent on our judicial system and how much it does to remain the last hope of the common man” the statement reads in part. The group thereafter asked the Judge to immediately recuse himself of all cases that concerns Kogi state as he has shown sufficient reasons why parties cannot trust any judgement flowing from his court again and therefore asked him to save the judiciary of further mess by withdrawing immediately from presiding over the matters that concern Kogi state. The group further called on the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to reassign all Kogi cases before Justice Nwite to a neutral judge to protect the integrity of the judiciary before the public.
The group accused EFCC of deploying deceit, lies and manipulations to sway public opinion in order to curry accolades.
“The EFCC has accused the duo of making withdrawal of a whopping N46bn cash from the accounts of the state government. We dare ask, did the commission receive any letter of complaint from the Kogi state government to the effect that its funds are missing? Can the commission boldly tell us if the office of Director General of Government House and Director of Finance of same government house do not have the legal authority to withdraw money on behalf of government? Can the EFCC come out clean and trace the money was budgeted for or not?
“Has the commission also extended its investigation as to what the state government deployed the funds for? Has it also asked if the legacy projects dotted across Kogi, right from the immediate past government till this moment were executed at no cost?
“These are grand plans to call the dog a bad name just to hang it. It is clear to the blind and loud to the deaf that former Governor Yahaya Bello is their prime target.
“Why should EFCC not allow the wheel of justice grind to its logical conclusion after it has filed its case against Bello? Why does it have to resort to self-help out of sheer desperation”, the statement added.
It therefore called on the judiciary to be at the forefront of protecting the rights of citizens from flagrant abuse from agencies of government, instead of aiding their highhandedness.
It noted that the court should not be a super market where people shop for items placed on shelves, noting that it is inimical to the development of democracy.
