Posted by By Kazeem Ugbodaga on
Human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, says the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, is not fit to head the commission following the disappearance of the case files of 31 suspected corrupt ex-governors.
Human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, says the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, is not fit to head the commission following the disappearance of the case files of 31 suspected corrupt ex-governors.
The EFCC boss had announced that the case files of some ex-governors, charged with corrupt practices, had disappeared, an act that has cast doubts on the ability of the commission to win the war against corruption.
Speaking with P.M.News on telephone, from London, yesterday, Fawehinmi asked, 'how can the files be missing?' The human rights activist said the missing files showed that Waziri is not competent enough to head the EFCC, which buttresses his earlier assertion.
'Waziri should let us know how the files went missing. She must tell us the names of the 31 ex-governors whose files are missing, where and when the files got lost and what effort had been made to retrieve them.
'It is ironic to say the files are missing. Waziri has to show us that she was not careless. If the files got missing, it shows that she is careless,' he stated.
Fawehinmi added that Farida must explain to the whole world how such important files, meant for the prosecution of corrupt ex-governors, went missing, adding that he had never heard of this kind of situation in the history of EFCC. He stated that the current scenario showed the inability of Waziri to pilot the affairs of the commission, adding that 'I have a court case against her'.
'She has no legal competence to be the chairman of EFCC. She is not capable of doing the job. This has brought a serious dimension to the fight against corruption.
'It shows that she is not capable of protecting the integrity of the commission. How can a whole EFCC chairman tell us that such files are missing? This lady must give us lots of explanation on this,' Gani fumed.
Also, the National President, Campaign for Democracy (CD), Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, has called on the Senate to probe EFCC's missing files on the 31 ex-governors.
'The controversy over the missing files of 31 ex-governors has raised fundamental questions about the suitability or otherwise of Mrs.. Farida Waziri to head the EFCC. 'Many Nigerians, including CD, called to question the integrity of Mrs. Waziri when she was nominated by president Yar'Adua to head the EFCC, five months ago,' she said.
Okei-Odumakin said the Senate's probe on the missing files should ascertain from Waziri's predecessors, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and Ibrahim Lamorde, what was handed over to her and for Waziri to produce the EFCC staff from whose custody the files disappeared.
'The Senate in particular owes a duty in this regard because the cases against the ex-governors were presented before it. 'Corruption is killing our country by the day and all patriotic Nigerians should not allow corruption to kill the war against it through its agents and fronts.
'In decent climes, it does not even take this kind of probe we are calling for before a Mrs. Waziri would know that her position is no longer tenable,' Okei-Odumakin added.