The Kogi State Government has lambasted the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, for what it called ‘baseless fixation on the state’s affairs with spurious allegations in a bid to satisfy certain political interests.’
Kogi government said this in a statement, titled, “EFCC has become an embarrassment to Nigeria”, signed by the state Commissioner for Information and Communications state, Kingsley Fanwo.
The statement was issued obviously in response to arraignment of two family members of Governor Yahaya Bello – his nephew, Ali Bello and his wife Rashida Bello ( at large) – alongside three others for over N3 billion fraud by EFCC.
The trial of the governor’s relations and other accused will resume this Monday before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
But the state government, in the statement also called on the Inspector-General of Police to immediately arrest of Bawa and commit him to prison as ruled by a competent court.
The state government said it was sad that an agency charged with the responsibility of fighting graft in the country had turned itself into a pawn in the hands of political opponents of the Kogi State Government with untamed desperation to damage the integrity of the Governor and the Government of Kogi State.
It said the shadow chasing by the EFCC and their known and unknown sponsors would not distract the current administration in the state from serving the people.
“Allowing convicts to roam about the society portends a great danger to our judicial system. Rasheed Bawa cannot be allowed to continue to disobey Court Orders at will while also evading justice. Let justice be done,” the statement said.
Fanwo noted that the EFCC was known for media trial and that no amount of such would distract Governor Yahaya Bello from recording more successes in the state.
“The latest shenanigans of the EFCC is to accuse some members of the Governor’s family of corruption, arrest them without any prior invitation or warrant and against extant Court Orders restraining them from so doing and charge them to court. This has further exposed the uncivilised, unconstitutional and unethical practices of the anti-graft agency. Their latest approach has further confirmed to Nigerians that they have an institutional agenda against the Governor and Government of Kogi State,” he said.
According to him, Nigerians are wiser now and they know when an operation is politically motivated.
“We reiterate that funds belonging to the Kogi State Government are not missing and we retain our enviable status in the areas of transparency, accountability and probity. The shadow chasing by the EFCC and their known and unknown sponsors will not distract our administration from serving our people. The seeming attack on Governors that are committed to the victory of the APC Presidential Candidate by the anti-graft agency is well understood by discerning Nigerians. No force can stop the voice of the people,” the state government said
Fanwo added that the government was committed to fighting on the side of the citizenry as reflected in the recent suit it filed along with others against currency redesign.
He urged people of the state to remain calm and not take the law into their hands.
