A group, the Human Rights Defenders and Advocacy Centre, HRDAC, has asked
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to change its name and
slogan from ‘Nobody is above the law’, since its could not probe and
prosecute Patience Jonathan the wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
This came as the EFCC said that ‘Patience Jonathan will never go scot-free
if she is found wanting or any other person no matter how highly placed he
or she is.’
The group in a statement, on Wednesday, title, ‘Demand for arrest,
prosecution of Patience Jonathan, probe of APC campaign fund and no more
sacred cow in the anti-corruption crusade’ signed by Queen Ameh, and
Innocent Agbo during a protest at the EFCC office in Ikoyi, Lagos said the
EFCC was selective in its anti-graft war, as its also questioned why
Patience Jonathan was still walking freely in spite of the evidence the
EFCC said its has against her.
”You have found evidence incriminating Patience Jonathan but we are
surprised that Patience Jonathan is still allowed to be walking freely,
and even had the audacity to take the EFCC to court to demand the release
of her money to her.”
The group also said the EFCC should change its slogan from ‘Nobody is
above the law’, since it had found it difficult not to only go after
Patience, but the likes of ex-Presidents, including Ibrahim Babangida,
Abdusalam Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.
Agbo during the protest lamented that “I have been to this same EFCC to
bail several people over the issue of N500,000 passing through their
accounts innocently. They were invited, they came voluntarily and you
people held them. But we have somebody with our money, $15m which is N6bn,
walking freely.
On Ibrahim Babangida, Abdusalam Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck
Jonathan, Agbo said ‘we have the issue of Badamasi Babangida; it is open
knowledge that N12bn gulf money was missing under his regime, nothing is
done; we are aware of Obasanjo and the $16bn power funds, you people are
not investigating it; we are aware of the petition against Amaechi to the
EFCC; we are aware that the APC did not get the funds for its election
campaign from only Buhari’s account.
We are aware that you are probing the Peoples Democratic Party, why are
you not probing the APC?” he questioned.
The EFCC Deputy Director of Operations, Mr. Iliyasu Kwarbai, speaking with
the protesters vowed that if its investigation uncovers evidence of
corruption against the wife of former president Goodluck Jonathan,
Patience, she would not be left off the hook and that ‘Nobody is above the
law’.
“Let me tell you, there is no sacred cow; anybody who is found wanting,
who involves himself or herself in corrupt practices will not be spared. I
have received your petition, it is here and what do we do? We go into
investigation immediately. Now we have seen the name of Patience Jonathan;
it is here. If she is found wanting, she will never go scot-free. So also
any other person no matter how highly placed he is.
“We must sanitise our country and provide a very good environment that
people can come and invest in; an economy that is devoid of any economic
and financial crime. So, we are happy to see you here; we have received it
and we are going to go into action. I am going to inform my chairman that
you were here and that we’ll commence investigation immediately.”