Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
Hundreds of members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, yesterday staged a peaceful protest to the Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the continued detention without trial of ex-Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, by the anti-graft agency.
As early as 10.00 a.m., the members of the PDP were seen in groups at the street leading to the EFCC’s office to express their displeasure on the continued stay of Ahmed at the EFCC’s custody.
Ahmed had on Monday honoured the invitation of the EFCC over its investigations of N10 billion financial misappropriations.
Since then, the former governor has not been charged to court as the time of filling this report.
The protesters were armed with different inscriptions on their placards like “Free Former Governor Ahmed Now,” “EFCC Stop Illegal harassment of Magida,” “Ahmed will not Join APC,” “EFCC should Stop Being a Tool in the Hands of the APC,” “EFCC, Don’t Instigate Political Crisis in Kwara,” among others.
Speaking with journalists at the main entrance of EFCC in Ilorin, the state Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Olusegun Olusola Adewara, berated the anti-graft agency for the continued detention of the former governor in its custody without arraigning him in the court of law.
Adewara said: “It is almost four days now that the former governor Ahmed has been in the detention of the Ilorin Zonal office of EFCC without allowing him to his freedom talk less of having access to his doctors and family.
“This is uncalled for and unacceptable to the Kwarans and PDP. The former governor should not be treated like this. If he has case to answer, the EFCC should take him to court instead of holding him down in their office without trial.”
Adewara, who described the former governor as a transparent person while in office, urged the EFCC to stop further alleged persecution of the former governor.
Responding to the protest, the Ilorin Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Mr. Micheal Nzekwe, said that “as Kwarans and individuals, you have right to protest according to the law and constitution of the country providing that it is peaceful.
“I have listened to your complaints clearly and heard what you have to say. I want to say that the EFCC is a creation of law and will not do contrary to the law. Everything that we had done is in the ambit of the law.
“There are serious and strong petitions and don’t forget that, the investigations have been on for a long time, it is not a new thing.
“Former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has been invited severally and has been cooperating with us during the course of the investigations and we are making good progress.
“The concern of the EFCC, as a federal agency, is for the people of Kwara to see what belong to the Kwarans get to Kwarans and that is all and we are doing it following the rule of law.”
Nzekwe stated that “I heard that former governor Ahmed has not been seen by his lawyers, as I am talking to you now, there is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and other lawyers that are working with him and everything he has written is with the consent of his lawyers that are with him.”
He noted that the “former Governor Ahmed has been served with bail conditions and which he has yet to meet and we are following the rule of the law in keeping him.
“We are wrapping up on our investigations on the issue and once it is wrapped, the law will take its course.”
