Constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome has slammed the federal government over the continued detention of the suspended Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, and the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Speaking on Monday in Abuja, Ozekhome opined that the ongoing travails of Bawa and Emefiele is the height of executive lawlessness and rascality.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) lamented that after all the ills perpetrated by the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, only Bawa and Emefiele have been singled out for punishment.
Ozekhome, however, condemned the action of the DSS in their continued incarceration of the duo against constitutional provisions and lawful order of court, describing it as barbaric, atrocious and unconscionable.
He lamented that while Bawa was being kept in “captivity” nearly two months after he was invited for interrogation by the DSS, Emefiele was not allowed to go despite being admitted to bail by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The statement reads: “The DSS, through its Director of Information, Willie Bassey, cited “weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him”, as the reason for Bawa’s continued captivity.
“This continued detention without trial is barbaric, atrocious and unconscionable, to say the least.
“Till date, the DSS has not told Nigerians what Bawa’s specific offences are (if any), or the level of “investigation.”
Furthermore, Ozekhome remarked that the plight of the suspended CBN boss was as a result of the unpalatable “feast” he had with the Buhari government.
He pointed out that while Emefiele had been serially accused of plunging the nation’s currency to a zero level amongst other alleged crimes, he was yet to hear anyone accuse Emefiele of stealing trillions of naira like many of Buhari’s acolytes.
He added: “I did not hear that he was involved in any coup attempt, or in kidnapping, armed banditry, or armed robbery. I have yet to hear that Emefiele committed murder. Even in these capital offences, a Judge can still grant bail to an accused person under certain circumstances as provided for in section 161 of the ACJA.
“So, the questions still remain unanswered: were all these acts complained about in Emefiele’s own accord alone? Could Emefiele have taken these decisions alone without former President Buhari’s backing? Can someone clap with one palm? Why punish the messenger and save the principal sender? Is this not selective justice? Is it because of where he comes from? Could this have happened to a northerner given the same extenuating circumstances.”
While condemning the DSS’ for its penchant for disobeying orders of court by continuing to keep both Emefiele and Bawa in custody over frivolous allegations, he urged the security agency to immediately release them in line with the Rule of Law.