Professor Wole Soyinka has vociferously called for the detention of individuals directly or indirectly linked to the alleged scam involving the Mambilla power project. He expressed his dismay over the arrest of former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Soyinka condemned a statement attributed to the EFCC’s chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, suggesting that only President Bola Tinubu could order the release of Agunloye.
Expressing incredulity at the EFCC’s decision to declare Agunloye wanted despite his public appearances, Soyinka highlighted that Agunloye had been openly present at an event—the funeral of his sister—on December 8, visible and not in disguise. He criticized the EFCC’s action as a social media stunt rather than a sincere effort to address serious criminal allegations.
“Olu Agunloye has pursued his movements openly to the extent of being present and photographed at my sister’s funeral on December 8. He did not appear in disguise, did not sneak in and out.
“He functioned as any normal human being at an event at which the Press was present. Less than thirty-six hours later, he was declared WANTED: If that was an EFCC joke, it was in extremely bad taste, obviously designed for Social Media sensationalism, not for any serious crimesolving commitment.
“Nonetheless, Agunloye, as a dutiful citizen, issued a statement on his visibility and ready compliance. He promised to show up at the EFCC offices in Abuja the following day. He appeared and was promptly arrested and detained.”
Moreover, Soyinka was perturbed by reports stating that the EFCC head declared that Agunloye would be released solely upon the President’s directive.
He added, “The information I have been able to obtain during the past two days of my return to the country is that the Head of the EFCC declared that he would release him only on the instructions of the President of the Nation.
“True or false? I am not in the game of “He said, I said”. What matters is the murky exercise of power. I have had cause to intervene before this, all the way from (Kayode) Are, through (Nuhu) Ribadu and (Ibrahim) Magu, that last until he stopped taking my calls.
“The present however transcends all other interventions, as it involves certain issues of national interest, in tandem with the evident issues of fundamental citizen rights”.
Soyinka, stressing the gravity of the situation, demanded an impartial inquiry into the alleged Mambilla project scam and the unsolved murder case of former Minister of Power, Bola Ige, under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
He advocated for a transparent, non-partisan commission to thoroughly investigate and reveal the truth, regardless of the time it might take.
The Nobel Laureate urged an end to deception, cover-ups, and blame shifting, proposing that both legislative chambers should take decisive action to resolve the issue and pave the way for the nation’s progress. He also called for the immediate release of all detainees involved in the alleged scam or their equal arrest and detention to ensure justice and accountability.
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