Group flays EFCC over ‘media trial’ of Kogi First Lady

A group, Kogi Democratic Movement (KDM) has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to avoid engaging in a media trial of Kogi State’s First Lady, Hajiya Rashida Bello, but rather, employ professional best practices in the conduct of its operations.

This is just as the group also urged operatives of the agency to always follow due process contained in their operational module, saying these were needed to engender public confidence and respect for it being a critical organ of state necessary for good governance of the country.

Executive Director of KDM, Comrade Isah O. Achema, in a statement yesterday in Abuja while reacting to media reports suggesting that the First Lady of the state, Rashida Bello is ‘at large’ to evade arrest over alleged corruption involvement, described such claim as false.

He said the EFCC, in its attempts to allegedly undermine the governor of Kogi State, a nephew of the governor, Ali Bello, and others were on Thursday arraigned before a court in Lokoja, the state capital, on allegation of diverting the sum of N3 billion belonging to the state government into private accounts.

The EFCC had, in the charge sheet, stated that the First Lady has been at large, but the group accused the commission of media trial and propaganda, saying that the First Lady has been performing her official duties in the state.

He said, “We wonder why the EFCC is making this wild allegation that she has disappeared from the state and is evading prosecution, while she is in Lokoja performing her duties to the people of the state. This kind of issues are not what the EFCC should be seen doing to be taken seriously by Nigerians.”

Bawa must go movement begins in Lagos

In a related development, over 100 anti-corruption civil society organisations and thousands of their members and supporters staged a massive protest in Lagos on Saturday in continuation of their call for the removal of the EFCC chairman over alleged continued disobedience of court orders.

Leaders of the Anti-corruption groups, who began what they described as a “Week Long  Protest Against Politicisation of the EFCC, Disobedience of Court Orders and Infringement on Human Rights of Nigerians” on  Friday, said many CSOs called to join the struggle after the maiden press conference held in Lagos.

The CSOs were joined by senior lawyers at the rally, staged through the streets of Ikeja, through Ikeja City Mall, ending at the Oregun Junction, in Ikeja, Lagos.

Spokesperson for the Transparency and Accountability Group, Ayodeji Ologun, who spoke on behalf of the anti-corruption CSOs, said the Coalition of Anti-corruption Organisations, could not watch the country’s legal system being bastardised by the selfish interests of a few, insisting that if Bawa was bent on playing politics, he should get a membership card from any of the political parties.

He said the need to press home their grievance strongly and call for the removal of the EFCC boss was founded on the realisation that some anti-democratic elements were drawing the civil societies back in the fight against corruption.

(Daily Trust)