Kogi: Anti-graft CSOs warn EFCC against past mistakes

Anti[corruption Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), yesterday, warned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), under Ola Olukoyede, to refrain from allowing “cankerworms of the previous management left in the system” to rubbish his credentials as anti-graft czar.

The over 300 anti-corruption activists, under seven broad frontline organisations, noted that it was pertinent for them to sound an early note of warning because the misuse of the EFCC by political gladiators for victimisation and score-settling, which they thought had been tackled, was suddenly rearing its head again.

They disclosed this in a statement signed by the Director of Publicity and Research, Sustainable Initiative for Nurturing Growth, Fisayo Abayomi; Chairman, Zero Graft Coalition, Dr Olusegun Adesanmi, and National Coordinator, Integrity Forum, Mohammed Zakari.

Others include the President of Transparency Movement of Nigeria, Esther Ezechukwu; Chairman of Stop Corruption Coalition, Samuel Ogedegbe; Executive Director of Africa Accountability Centre, Godwin Ozogula, and Isiak Aderounmu of Youthcentric Advocacy Initiative.

They advised the EFCC boss to sit up and shield the commission from “political miscreants who think EFCC is an extension of their political structures, to be manipulated at will.”

Specifically, the activists referred to the Kogi State government’s statement, on Tuesday, alerting the public to an alleged fresh move by the EFCC to hound former Governor Yahaya Bello for political reasons.

According to the activists, the latest persecution, going by the EFCC’s amended charge sheet, which featured ex-Governor Bello’s name, showed a clear case of desperation to whip up public sentiment against the target, adding that any litigation on corruption founded on political conspiracy would always have no merits to pursue it.

They declared: “While we stand solidly behind any credible anti-corruption drive, we, however, oppose and condemn, unequivocally, any corruption allegations with the trappings and trademarks of political victimisation as this Kogi case seems to be.

“We are disappointed that the current EFCC leadership seems to have decided to toe the line of the ignoble Bawa way of doing things the wrong way.”