Our Facilities Not Dumping Ground for Detainees, Says EFCC

Our Facilities Not Dumping Ground for Detainees, Says EFCC

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday said its holding facilities were not dumping ground for detainees.

It said human rights of suspects on trial for corruption were not violated contrary to insinuations on social media that its Port Harcourt detention facility was below standard.

The commission said its holding facilities across the country have well-equipped medical centres that attend to the health needs of detainees.

“The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been drawn to a trending tweet from @TheRealDayne showing pictures purported to be the EFCC Port Harcourt Zonal Office Holding Cell.

“The commission hereby states that the tweet is not just the imagination of its author, but a mischief and a calculated attempt to smear the hard-earned reputation of the commission”, it said.

The commission said “contrary to the fake pictures circulated by @TheRealDayne, the facility in Port Harcourt Zonal Office, like all other EFCC cells, boasts of a high degree of decency and therefore, cannot be the open dumping facility, surrounded by razor-wired walls, depicted in the picture that was mischievously circulated.

“It is important to further clarify that EFCC detention centres are known for their remarkable care for detainees in line with our avowed respect for human right and dignity”.

The commission said the Port Harcourt detention facility, like all others across the country was further bolstered by a well-equipped medical centre that attends to the health needs of detainees, saying they are “fed three square meals daily from the same canteen that service officers and men of the commission”.

“Were it not so, suspects standing trial for corruption would not prefer to be remanded in the custody of the commission to those of the nation’s Correctional Centres. It is on record that no detainee has challenged the commission for rights violation in court.

Human rights activist, Senator Shehu Sani, had recently accused the commission of dumping him in an underground cell prompting the commission to invite journalists to undertake a tour of its facilities in Abuja to disprove the allegations.

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