Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has berated the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for arresting and detaining a former federal lawmaker, Hon. Muhammad Gudaji Kazaure, for days without filing any charges against him in court.
Atiku said EFCC’s action was a well-worn pattern of lawlessness, allegedly arresting and detaining citizens with brazen disregard for due process and without offering any justification for its actions.
In a post on his verified Facebook page on Saturday morning, the former vice president, who had a few days ago tackled the EFCC over the similar arrest and detention of a controversial social media critic, Martins Vincent Otse, a.k.a VeryDarkMan, said even if there were legitimate grounds for arresting any citizen, such action must adhere strictly to the rule of law.
Atiku, however, noted that with EFCC’s silence, it was normal to conclude that Kazaure’s ordeal was a direct consequence of his fearless and unrelenting criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He wrote: “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has once again plunged headlong into its well-worn pattern of lawlessness, arresting and detaining citizens with brazen disregard for due process and without offering any justification for its actions.
“We witnessed this same abuse in the unlawful arrest and detention of Mr. Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, whose release was only secured after massive public outrage and pressure.
“Now, the EFCC has targeted Hon. Muhammad Kazaure, a former member of the House of Representatives and an unapologetic critic of the gross misgovernance and failings of the Tinubu administration. Abducted in Kano and whisked away to Abuja, Kazaure is presently being held incommunicado, with no formal charge or explanation offered to his family, legal team, or the Nigerian people.
“Let it be stated without equivocation: even if there were legitimate grounds for arresting any citizen, such action must adhere strictly to the rule of law. The EFCC is duty-bound to publicly disclose the reasons for any arrest and must not detain individuals indefinitely under the guise of investigation. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is unequivocal on this matter—every detainee must be promptly charged to court or released.
“By once again trampling on the fundamental rights of a Nigerian citizen, the EFCC is entrenching itself deeper into the mire of impunity and constitutional delinquency. Its deafening silence regarding the arrest of Hon. Kazaure, a man who represented the good people of Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa, and Yankwashi federal constituency, lays bare the agency’s contempt for transparency and justice.
“We are left with no choice but to conclude that Kazaure’s ordeal is a direct consequence of his fearless and unrelenting criticism of this administration. This government’s hypocrisy is as staggering as it is shameless: while it strikes cosy deals with politically connected figures tainted by corruption, it unleashes the machinery of the state to harass and silence its critics.”
The former vice president added that “the Nigerian people are watching. And history will not forget.”
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