A large number of irate members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State have demonstrated against the ongoing detention of former governor AbdulFatah Ahmed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is now in its third day of detention.
It should be noted that the former governor visited the commission office in Ilorin on Monday at the invitation of the commission, and that he has been subjected to intense questioning ever since.
In his remarks on Tuesday night, the former governor’s chief press secretary, Alhaji AbdulWahab Oba, confirmed that his principal was under the EFCC’s custody and expressed dissatisfaction with the length of time it had taken to fulfill his bail requirements.
As per his statement, “Yes, he remains with the EFCC, and we are currently facing a predicament regarding the matter since they consistently move the goal posts throughout the game.”
At present, we are unsure of the new dimension that the case is taking.At first, they stated that they required him to present two federal directors as sureties. When the sureties arrived, they were requested to present landed properties in Abuja.
We see this as a contradiction.”The case was first handled by the Abuja office of the EFCC before it was moved to Ilọrin due to a jurisdictional dispute.
Additionally, Oba claimed, “he has been denied direct access to his cook, medication, and doctors.”Since the former governor has never ignored an invitation from the EFCC before, he charged the organization to adhere to due process and project transparency in their handling of the case.
In the meantime, protesters voiced all of their concerns to Michael Nzekwe, the commission’s zonal commander, who calmly addressed them all while refuting the accusations made against the organization.
The demonstrators claimed that Nzekwe was being used to persecute the former governor and that it was preventing him from seeing his lawyer, doctor, or eating any food he wanted.
Nzekwe refuted these claims.Several placards bearing the slogans “EFCC stop the persecution” and “The Opposition cannot be silenced” were on display by the former governor’s supporters. “EFCC does not incite political crisis in Kwara state,” “Gov. Ahmed was transparent,” and so on. “EFCC cease the harassment,” “Respect the rule of law,” and “No to illegal detention.
“The supporters, who referred to the commission by a variety of derogatory terms, charged the agency with corruption and stated that corruption is not punishable by law.
Sola Olusegun, the party’s publicity secretary, accused the EFCC of being used by the ruling APC to target the former governor when she spoke to reporters on the scene.
He said, “We are aware of their tactics, which are intended to coerce the former governor into joining the APC, but he refuses to do so under any circumstances.
“The party spokesman added that the former governor had not eaten in the previous three days and that he was not allowed to see his lawyer or doctor.Michael Nzekwe, the commission’s zonal commander, responded by refuting all of the accusations made by the PDP’s resentful members.
We cannot be utilized as a tool for persecuting someone because we are established by the law.Everything we do is compliant with the law.We let him eat any food that is brought to him, and his doctor has been coming here to take care of him. As we speak, a SAN is with him and has been since he arrived.
Thus, none of these accusations are accurate,” he declared.He added, “We are keeping Former Governor Ahmed in custody in accordance with the law. He was served with conditions of his bail, which he has not yet fulfilled.
“We are concluding our investigations into the matter, and the legal process will commence thereafter.”