By Chiemelie Ezeobi
While reacting to the arrest of his wife, Alhaja Moroophat Obanikoro by the Department of State Security Services (DSS) on Thursday, the former Minister of State for Defense, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, yesterday debunked claims that incriminating documents were found in her possession.
While condemning the many versions published by some media houses on the invitation of his wife by officials of the DSS, he said facts should not be distorted.
In a statement released on yesterday and made available to THISDAY, the former minister urged that his wife should not be maligned neither should facts which were supposed to be sacred, distorted to skew and tilt investigation thereby influencing public opinion negatively on a patriotic, hard-working and innocent woman who is apolitical.
The statement reads in parts: “We are saddened by the fact that the media was awash with false and conflicting information about the invitation of Senator Obanikoro’s wife.
“Ordinarily, we considered ignoring these concocted lies but for the sake of discerning and right thinking public, hence the need to straighten matters.
“First, Alhaja Moroophat has always being in the country managing her businesses as against the lie that she sneaked in last week from the United States.
“Second, no documents were found in her possession and the lie that she was arrested while trying to evacuate documents is a fabrication and can only survive in their warped and distorted minds.
“It should also be noted that the officials only came to invite her for questioning and as against the phrase that she was whisked away, her driver actually drove her in her own car to the office of the DSS.
“Third, it was shamefully reported that the DSS were involved because there were so many armed policemen guiding her. This is another fabricated lie.
“Even when he was serving as Minister, his family never enjoyed any police protection let alone after leaving office and as a woman who is above board in all her dealings, she does not need one.
“Finally, we are using this medium to call on the officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to desist from persecuting an innocent woman who has no dealings at all with any of the businesses that they are investigating and totally unaware of the alleged transactions.
“For emphasis, the innocent woman has a history of High Blood Pressure and heart related ailments and as such should not be dragged into their biased and politicised investigations.
“We have absolute confidence in the judiciary and we hope to get justice in the course with the proviso that they obey the rule of Law and avoid arbitrariness that we are seeing on daily basis.”
