The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the alleged persecution, detention, and character assassination of Citizen Audu Friday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), describing the commission’s actions as gross violations of human rights and due process.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, expressed deep concern over what the organisation termed a “brazen abuse of prosecutorial powers” by the anti-graft agency, accusing it of orchestrating a campaign of falsehoods and defamation against Audu Friday.
The Abuja-based businessman was reportedly incarcerated by the EFCC for over 100 days under allegations of cyber fraud and money laundering.
According to HURIWA, the alleged actions of the EFCC—ranging from unlawful detention, physical assault, duplicate charges in different courts, to deliberate media disinformation—amount to a calculated attempt to prejudice the ongoing legal process and publicly convict the accused before he has had a fair chance to defend himself.
“The EFCC has crossed the line of decency, legality, and professionalism in its desperate effort to demonise a citizen who voluntarily honoured their informal invitations and has cooperated fully with their investigations.”
“The fact that the EFCC claimed in a recent press statement that Friday was arrested during a so-called ‘surprise raid’ in December 2024, while available records indicate he only began contact with the commission in January 2025, raises serious questions about the agency’s credibility and motives.
“Furthermore, labelling him as the mastermind of a ‘792-member scam syndicate’ without a single shred of verifiable evidence or judicial conviction is irresponsible and defamatory,” HURIWA stated.
The group also decried what it described as a disturbing pattern of rights violations, including Friday’s reported physical assault within court premises by EFCC operatives, and his re-arrest despite meeting stringent bail conditions, only to be re-arraigned on duplicate charges before a different court.
HURIWA called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately order an independent investigation into the matter and to hold EFCC operatives accountable for any acts of misconduct. It also urged the judiciary to assert its independence and ensure that Friday is granted a fair hearing without interference or extrajudicial influence.
The group reiterated its commitment to defending civil liberties and vowed to monitor the proceedings closely to ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done.
