…says EFCC has ulterior motive on Bello
By Uche Onyeali
Campaign for Democracy, CD, has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately relieve the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, of his job, saying he has demonstrated lack of capacity to hold such office.
CD, a frontline civil society organisation in Nigeria, said it was unimaginable that a former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, who the same EFCC had placed on watchlist and enlisted security agencies in Nigeria and Interpol to help fish out, walked into its premises, waited for about three hours and no arrest or interrogation happened.
“Instead, they told him to go, that they would get back to him only to issue a laughable statement that he was still a wanted man,” the Oresident of Campaign for Democracy, Comrade Ifeanyi Odili, said in a statement yesterday.
According to him, EFCC’s excuse for not arresting him because a sitting governor accompanied him to their office is laughable. Olukoyede should be asked to go.
“Many people had castigated this man for long even though others believed the case was mainly that of persecution.
“In all of this, CD did not dabble into the matter. Now that it has taken a dramatic turn, one that touches on democratic principles and affects the country’s image, it is pertinent for well meaning Nigerians to lend their voice.
“Associates of the former governor had been raising alarm that his life is at risk. With the events of yesterday (Wednesday, September 18), any right thinking person would conclude that his life must be truly at risk.
“You said you could not arrest or interrogate him in your office because his governor was there, yet you went, at night, to the official residence of the same governor in Abuja to start firing gunshots as if Nigeria is a lawless society. This is unacceptable,” he stated.
The organisation noted that in saner climes, the EFCC boss would have been fired the next morning.
“Bello has fulfilled all righteousness. With the turn of events that culminated in a show of shame last night, it appears the EFCC has an ulterior motive definitely different from the fight against corruption,” the CSO submitted.
