Posted by By AKIN ALOFETEKUN, Minna on
Human rights activist, Shehu Sani, has accused the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of high level collaboration in the non-appearance of Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello in court to answer charges of corruption.
Human rights activist, Shehu Sani, has accused the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of high level collaboration in the non-appearance of Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello in court to answer charges of corruption.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Sun, Sani, President of Civil Rights Congress (CRC), said since the creation of EFCC, there was never a time it took the commission this long to apprehend a high profile suspect, like the senator.
He said: 'This Iyabo Obasanjo's case has become a dark spot on the commission. It is becoming an exception. She should be treated like every other person. EFCC has not discharged its responsibilities creditably well in this matter. The police too and other relevant agencies have not fared better.
'I want to believe there is high level collaboration somewhere and it is not good for the image of the country. After all, being the daughter of a former president does not confer any form of immunity on her.
'Our position is that if Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello cannot be apprehended and brought to court, then all the 350 prisons in the country should be opened and the inmates allowed to go home, that is when we know that there is no law in Nigeria." Sani said that the senator has no reason going into hiding.
According to him: 'The EFCC is the creation of her father. If her father had used the same agency to arrest other people when he was in office, there is no reason Iyabo should be treated like a sacred cow.
'One lesson she is supposed to have learnt before now is the transient nature of power. You are in charge today, somebody else will be in charge tomorrow. Whatever you do today, you will account for it after leaving office."
The human rights crusader also has a message for Iyabo's father.
'Former President Obasanjo should tell his daughter to come out of hiding, to face the law. After all, nobody will kill her.
'Afraid of being jailed? What is wrong in jailing an offender? Her father once went to prison and later became president. She should come out to personally state her own side of the N 10million scam. At least for now she is still a suspect and not a convict.
'Running away will not solve the problem. She should know that no matter how long it takes, Nigerians will not forget. This is not the kind of case that can be swept under the carpet."
Speaking on the on-going probes at the National Assembly, the human rights activist expressed the fear that nothing positive would come out of it. He instead advocated for the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry.
'What we are saying is that there should be a judicial commission of inquiry, established by law to look into not only the power and oil sectors, but the entire sectors between 1999 and 2007.
'We are afraid that no action will be taken on the reports of the probe panels The probe panels can even be taken to court and be asked to stop action.
'A judicial commission of inquiry should be established to investigate all the misdeeds in the aviation, health, works, power, petroleum, in fact, in all sectors in the eight years of the Obasanjo administration."