Anti-corruption civil society groups claim that state power has been applied unfairly

Hundreds of human rights activists took to the streets of Lagos on Saturday over what they described as the anti-democratic approach of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on law enforcement issues and the federal government’s unjust application of state power.

The over 120 anti-corruption civil society organisations, together with a huge base of members and sympathizers, stressed that the actions of the Federal Government in the ongoing standoff between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, who assumed an ugly dimension during the week, suggested that the bone of contention lay outside the exercise of the EFCC’s constitutional responsibility.

According to them, based on the facts and documents obtained on the matter, the EFCC never sent an invitation letter to ex-Government Bello.
The issue of evading arrest therefore did not exist, they said.

“A person who has never been invited and who has a valid court order restraining, among other things, his arrest and intimidation until the outcome of the trial cannot be said to be evading arrest. It is intentional misinformation to turn the public against the governor,” they said.

The anti-corruption activists and human rights crusaders specifically condemned the threat of military action by an EFCC lawyer, saying that making “such a threat before a judge and within a court of law was a violation of the sanctity of the courtroom.”

The Chairman of the Center for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, Debo Adeniran, who led other activists in the protest on Saturday, noted that the continued disregard for the rule of law was not just about Yahaya Bello.
“We don’t know who the next victim will be,” he said.

“If the FG continues its unjust way of trampling the rule of law by undermining our legal system, we will mobilize a much larger number of Nigerians to join this pro-democracy struggle. It concerns all Nigerians because we do not know who the next victim could be,” Adeniran said.
He called on the federal government to first obey all court orders that precede their own actions in court and then vacate them through due process.

“There is no point in unnecessarily endangering someone’s life, because that is the situation we believe Yahaya Bello is in now. If the government does not handle this matter carefully, it could be shooting itself in the foot and causing collective harm to all Nigerians,” the activists said.

The activists warned that the government should not incite anarchy, stressing that democracy is governed by the rule of law and not by the rule of force.
They pointed out that some of them had been in the trenches for more than forty years without strengthening their stance on justice.

“Thirty-one years ago, when we organized to confront the military in view of the annulment of the June 12 elections by General Ibrahim Babangida’s junta, it was for the cause of justice.
“No one paid us a cent to organize the anti-SAP protests of 1989, which almost paralyzed the entire country.

“We have organized or participated in many altruistic struggles. In the course of this selfless struggle, many of us have been imprisoned, many have been maimed, and many have died on the battlefields of the fight for justice. But we have remained unchanged until now. We make a thankless sacrifice for humanity. But we’re not complaining.

“We have been on the side of the EFCC in many cases without any satisfaction or encouragement. But in this case, we emphasize that the EFCC is ignoring the rule of law and creating space for anarchy. And this cannot be allowed to continue,” they declared.

The anti-graft civil society organizations stated: “Our intervention today is to ensure that every party in the ongoing but avoidable tension between the Federal Government through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the immediate past Governor of Kogi State gets justice gets what is needed. deserved – both the service and the suspect.

“We are of the view that it was totally unnecessary to threaten military action in a civil case as it could escalate out of proportion and have devastating, even unintended consequences, as suggested by the EFCC through their lawyer.

“We are now hearing that some citizens of Kogi State are already saying that the FG will be held responsible if anything untoward happens to their former governor.”

“If the FG insists on inviting the military to intervene in a civil case involving a civilian, it is better that they return power to the military so that we know we are back to ground zero. It is now very clear to all Nigerians that the Yahaya Bello saga is far from being about corruption. Come to think of it, how do you accuse a man of stealing an amount that doesn’t even amount to the combined total of his IGR and federal allocation for two years? Why is the FG fishing for chicken in a river? It doesn’t live there,” said one of Nigeria’s leading activists, Gbenga Soloki.

“If anyone doubts our resolve to continue fighting for justice on this issue, they need to wake up and smell the coffee. We will not relent nor will we back down until justice is not only done but manifested in the case of Yahaya Bello. We will not stop,” added a spokesperson for the Coalition of Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organizations, Olufemi Lawson.

The press conference was chaired by Comrades Debo Adeniran, Executive Chairman of the Center for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL); Sina Loremikan, (campaign against impunity); Declan Ihekhaire, (Good Governance Activists); Gbenga Soloki, CADOV; Ochiaga Ohaneze, (Ohaneze Youth Council); Funmi Jolade, (Democratic Vanguard for Women); Kola Abe, (Center for Socio-Economic Rights); Ologun Ayodeji, (Transparency and Accountability Group); Including Femi Lawson (Center for Public Accountability) and Gbenga Ganzallo (Media Rights Campaign).