Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organisations have suggested the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC) to not desecrate the courts in the middle of finishing up its constitutional function of combating corruption.
The CSOs and human rights crusaders cautioned the EFCC and different anti-graft businesses in opposition to trampling on the rights of supposed suspects of corruption to be able to keep away from breaking a regulation to implement one other regulation.
The activists, who spoke at an emergency press briefing in Lagos on Thursday, famous particularly that the latest public face-off between the EFCC and a former governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, in Abuja, was “each pointless and unlucky.”
The chief chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Management (CACOL), Debo Adeniran, who addressed journalists, recommended that the frenzy by the EFCC to make an arrest, when the Courtroom of Attraction listening to on its utility to vacate the restraining order was simply in a couple of days, would possibly give credence to allegations of political persecution.
“Mr. Olukoyede is my buddy. But when he begins to trample on the rule of regulation, then that’s the terminal level of our friendship,” Adeniran mentioned.
The CSOs famous that the EFCC’s motion on Wednesday was “tantamount to the company preempting the result of its enchantment and likewise violating a subsisting and legitimate court docket order to pause motion pending the willpower of the case earlier than it.”
“Our layman’s understanding is {that a} Courtroom of coordinate jurisdiction can not assume superiority over one other,” they famous.
Gbenga Soloki of the Centre In opposition to Injustice and Home Violence, who additionally spoke, mentioned civil societies in Nigeria would protest vehemently in opposition to any try to make use of the navy to arrest a person who had not been accused of treason.
“This can be very disappointing to listen to this afternoon that EFCC is threatening to contain the navy of their desperation to forcefully or violently arrest a person who has not been alleged of treason.
“Ought to that occur, we will likely be a laughing inventory globally. Civil society will likely be lively in protesting in opposition to such unforgivable infraction on our democracy ought to it occur as threatened. It ought to higher not occur,” he mentioned.
Adeniran acknowledged, “We don’t think about Yahaya Bello a saint, however even the satan deserves his rights below the regulation. Courtroom paperwork at our disposal present that the previous Governor had obtained a Excessive Courtroom restraining order on the EFCC to not arrest or prosecute him pending the willpower of a case of the enforcement of his basic human rights, which the Fee has rightfully appealed with the intention of vacating.
“The Fee has completed very effectively up so far following the due processes of regulation as a result of with out vacating that order, it can not proceed with arresting the suspect.
“Based on obtainable court docket paperwork, listening to on the enchantment has been slated to come back up on Monday April twenty second in Abuja. Nevertheless, all of a sudden yesterday (Wednesday) the information of the foiled arrest of the previous Governor by the Fee went viral. One would have anticipated the Fee to attend for the willpower of its personal enchantment earlier than going after the suspect.
“We expect it’s an abuse of court docket processes to disregard a court docket order nonetheless on enchantment on the occasion of the Fee and to acquire a warrant of arrest from one other court docket on the identical suspect.”
The CSOs urged the EFCC to struggle, stop and prosecute corruption circumstances strictly inside the ambit of the regulation set as much as regulate the interplay between them and corruption suspects.
They famous that legal guidelines, together with the Nigerian prison justice system rules and court docket processes, have been meant to be obeyed non-selectively by each state and non-state actors.
The CSOs recalled that when the present Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, got here on board final 12 months, certainly one of his guarantees was to function strictly inside the rule of regulation.
“For many who are more likely to misread this intervention as it’s their common trademark, this goes past Yahaya Bello. Injustice to anybody shouldn’t be allowed to face as a result of it could be your flip tomorrow,” they famous.
The activists subsequently urged the EFCC to revert to established order antebellum pending the willpower of its enchantment and a trip of the restraining order positioned on it, saying “that’s the method and dictate of the regulation.”
The press convention was attended by Comrades Debo Adeniran, Government Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Management CACOL); Sina Loremikan, (Marketing campaign In opposition to Impunity); Declan Ihekhaire, (Activists for Good Governance); Gbenga Soloki, CADOV; Ochiaga Ohaneze, (Ohaneze Youth Council); Funmi Jolade, (Ladies Democratic Vanguard); Kola Abe, (Centre for Socioeconomic Rights); Ologun Ayodeji, (Transparency and Accountability Group); Femi Lawson, (Centre for Public Accountability) and Gbenga Ganzallo (Media Rights Marketing campaign), amongst others.