Family of Mr Azibaola Robert a cousin to former President Goodluck
Jonathan has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC of
poisoning ýtheir breadwinner.
The family levelled the accusation in a press conference in Lagos.
Robert, Managing Director of One Plus Holdings Limited was arrested by the
EFCC on 23 of March over a $40 million pipelines security contract
awarded to his firm by the Office of the National Security Adviser ONSA.
At the press conference Sunday in Lagos, Azibaola’s younger brother, Dr
Faith Robert, said there was sufficient reason to believe that EFCC had
poisoned his brother because he failed to “manufacture evidence against
former President Goodluck Jonathan.”
He described the ýcontinued detention of his elder brother by the anti-
graft agency after an Abuja High Court had granted him bail on April 7, as
a pointer to the sinister plans by EFCC to harm him.
According to Faith, in EFCC custody, Azibaola has been “repeatedly
bullied, harassed, threatened and psychologically traumatised to either
implicate Goodluck Jonathan or be ready to face the Dasuki treatment.”
He added, “Some have even taunted him to get his cousin former president
Jonathan to beg president Mujammadu Buhari to relase my brother, if
Jonathan indeed has any clout.”
Continued the medical doctor, “They claimed that my brother holds enough
evidence that can lead to the arrest and prosecution of former president
Jonathan before May 29, 2016 ýand must produce such by all means” .
Azibaola’s younger brother accused the EFCC of administering psychoactive
ýdrugs on his elder brother.
“As a trained medical doctor I have begun to observe significant changes
in my brother’s demeanour, countenance, coordination and cognition,” noted
Faith, stressing, ý”in fact my brother’s personal physician told me that
this conditions mentioned above could be indicative of a systematic
poisoning with psychoactive and other lethal drugs by the EFCC
operatives.”
He described the remand order by an Abuja Magistrate’s Court which EFCC
relied to detain Azibaola expired on April 19, and that the commission had
no right to approach a Lagos magistrate court for another remand order
after a high court sitting in Abuja had granted Azibaola bail and a
production warrant.
“It is unfortunate that EFCC, an organisation created by an Act of
Parliament, has continued to treat the order from a High Court of
competent jurisdiction with contempt,” noted Faith, and challenged the
Commission to either charge his brother to court or release him
unconditionally.