Civil society organizations warned the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee on Sunday towards politically motivated prosecutions.
The civil society organizations additionally suggested the EFCC to not act as a “political instrument” within the fingers of disgruntled politicians.
The civil society organizations underneath the auspices of the Committee for the Protection of Democracy and the Rule of Regulation notably denounced what they described because the anti-graft company's obvious fixation on “sure targets, intense media lawsuits and the community of opposition figures who publicly display their affinity displaying with the committee on sure issues simply mirrored political hatchet jobs that ought to be discouraged.”
The Co-Chairman of the group, Kayode Mogbojuri, who spoke on behalf of the civil society teams at a press convention in Abuja on Sunday, suggested the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, to maintain out actual enemies of the fee.
He mentioned: “For instance, the way in which it’s dealing with the present allegations of corruption towards the previous Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, is changing into a case of clear political witch-hunting by his political opponents, for whom the EFCC seems to be some form of advocate are. prepared instrument to be manipulated within the struggle towards their proxy warfare.
“In each nation the place the struggle towards corruption has been politicized, corruption has not solely flourished, but additionally imploded.
“Politics and regulation enforcement ought to be water and oil that can’t combine.”
The activists mentioned the truth that the amended cost sheet acknowledged that the previous governor had dedicated the mentioned crime someday in September 2015, when he had not but grow to be governor, additionally confirmed that it was a hasty try to nab him with out due diligence to get. If a mistake have been to happen, it will solely add to the embarrassment it had dropped at the nation's struggle towards corruption.
The civil society teams additionally made specific reference to the EFCC's assertion that the previous governor was at giant, stating that it was the most important proof of political persecution because it had not beforehand been publicized that he had been invited.
“We advise the fee to go away politics to politicians and deal with professionalism and fulfilling its constitutional anti-corruption mandate with out political air pollution that has the potential to lose native and worldwide help,” the activists concluded.
