The Media Office of the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of being desperate to execute a hatchet job for unknown interests.
The office also alleged that the anti-corruption agency was bent on tarnishing the image of the former governor for political reasons and other considerations best known to them.
The media office, in a statement on Wednesday night, signed by its Director, Ohiare Michael, said this had been made evident by the various operational and procedural blunders committed by the anti-corruption agency since the inception of its alleged money laundering case against him.
It described the statements released by the EFCC the same Wednesday, titled, "Yahaya Bello Must Have His Day in Court" as "a face-saving but badly scripted statement."
The former governor's team specifically noted that the EFCC had already shown to the world that there was more to its fixation on Kogi State and the ex-Governor Bello than its purported fight against corruption.
Ohiare referred to the events of last Wednesday when the former governor voluntarily submitted himself to the agency but was not interrogated or detained after four hours only for EFCC operatives to launch an attack on the Kogi Government Lodge at night.
He said,
"If the EFCC was truly interested in prosecution and not a deal by some unknown persons to humiliate the former governor and probably harm him for political reasons, would the agency not have taken him in on that day with a view to arraigning him in court on the next adjourned date?
"Why turn a money laundering allegation into an embarrassment for the whole country ostensibly to massage the ego of some collaborators?
"We want Nigerians to help us ask: What exactly does the EFCC want from former Governor Yahaya Bello?"
"His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, will have his day in court. No one is contesting this. But it will be in line with the rule of law, not as prescribed by the EFCC," he added.
He further stated that, "The interesting thing is that the more the Commission issues press statements under tension, the more glaring this assertion becomes.
"It is, however, sad that an agency as important as the EFCC has now degenerated to the level of crafting press statements in rogue styles to satisfy the hirers of the gun.
"Even if he is striving hard to keep his shirt by satisfying some supposed benefactors, like some have insinuated, the EFCC Chairman must be reminded that we are a member of the global village.
"What the Commission should be doing now is self re-appraisal with a view to repairing whatever is left of its battered image and not still dragging the name of our President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the mud with practices that are completely alien to the fight against corruption the world over.
"We want to reiterate that former Governor Yahaya Bello has acted like a democrat by subscribing to the rule of law and by approaching competent courts of jurisdiction to protect him. He is never afraid of facing justice, hence his submission to the trials at various courts.
"The laws allow for representation and he has constantly been represented by his lawyers. As a Nigerian, he has the right to explore all avenues within the rule of law to protect his fundamental human rights. The EFCC cannot dictate to him, or anyone for that matter, how to go about this.
"Right now, it seems the only task before the EFCC is to execute a desperate hatchet job of destroying the former governor's reputation and defaming him for no justifiable reason.
"But the EFCC must enlighten itself on the fact that former Governor Yahaya Bello remains innocent of the trumped up charges against him until proven guilty by a competent court of jurisdiction.
"As we write, many informed Nigerians, at home and abroad, cannot still understand why an anti-graft agency, which had declared the former governor wanted, would beg him to go after four hours, after voluntarily presenting himself at the EFCC office.
"The most disturbing aspect of the whole saga is that officials of the same EFCC that said the former governor could not be interrogated or detained because he came with a sitting Governor, went to the official lodge of the same sitting governor, while he was there, shooting sporadically, to forcefully arrest a man that had previously been in their office for over four hours!
"No matter how much the EFCC tries to call an albino a white man for Nigerians in this case, the truth is gradually being uncovered.
"Former Governor Yahaya Bello will fight to the end on the lane of constitutionality and will not succumb to the baits and traps of an Agency that has shown bias, contempt and a clear attempt on his life.
"We want to put it on record here again that former Governor Yahaya Bello is a respecter of the rule of law. He had, only all along, sought the enforcement of his fundamental human rights like any other citizen is entitled to.
"On the other hand, the EFCC, despite being a creation of the law, has demonstrated gross disrespect for the rule of law.
"This is evident in the agency's bullying, oppressive and reprehensible tactics of disregarding valid orders in cases relating to perceived enemies of their "sponsors or paymasters" and choosing to obey orders when they concern those in the good books of their godfathers.
"In this particular case, the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has shown clearly that he is either fighting a personal battle for reasons he must explain sooner than later or striving so hard to keep the trust of certain enemies of former Governor Yahaya Bello, who might have given him an assignment that he must execute at all costs.
"We sympathise with the Commission in this very trying time of a badly battered image, as Nigerians have become more aware that the so-called fight against corruption is not only selective, but also one that could damage the noble intentions of our dynamic President with respect to the all-important fight against corruption, and more importantly, the overall wellbeing of Nigerians.
"We call on Mr. President to please order a thorough investigation into the EFCC-former Governor Yahaya Bello face-off, since inception, with a view to unravelling the real motives of the persecutors.
"The chronology of events since April this year will reveal clear bias, intimidation, oppression, and total disregard for the rule of law by the Commission.
"We stress again that as of the time of the initial siege on the former Governor's residence in April, the EFCC had no business there because he had a valid court order restraining such action, which had not been vacated. The Commission cannot also provide proof of a formal invitation to him.
"To set the records straight, the Court of Appeal only vacated that order a few weeks ago, which prompted our principal to present himself at the EFCC headquarters on September 18, even while still pursuing the enforcement of his fundamental human rights.
"If the EFCC was truly interested in prosecution and not a deal by some unknown persons to humiliate the former governor and probably harm him for political reasons, would the agency not have taken him in on that day with a view to arraigning him in court on the next adjourned date?
"In normal circumstances, the EFCC should not be the investigator and prosecutor at the same time. But the law allows it. It is, however, strange that the Commission has now assumed the position of the judge. We must remind them that this is Nigeria, and Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians.
"We implore the authorities to advise the EFCC Chairman to face his job as an investigator and refrain from allowing personal interests to continue to push him into avoidable blunders.
"The more the Commission issues controversial press statements on former Governor Yahaya Bello, the more the world is made to see the desperation to achieve an aim that is not clear yet. But the law is definitely stronger than their might.
"We salute the Kogi State House of Assembly for speaking up and we thank all Nigerians who have come to realize that there is more to this desperation by the EFCC to humiliate former Governor Yahaya Bello than they are telling the world."
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