The Yoruba Socio-Cultural Group,
Afenifere, has expressed grievances over the fact that the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had invited only the former Director General
of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayodele Oke, leaving out the former
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, following
their sack by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking through its Spokesman,
Yinka Odumakin, Afenifere in an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Politics
Today’ on Friday said that while it is not against anybody being investigated,
such cases must be handled on equal grounds.
He said: “The reason why we are
not happy is that we are not against anybody that has committed an offence
being tried or investigated, infact one of our core values is probity and
accountability in public office.
“If you hold public office you
must account for your deeds but our worry was that the case of the former SGF
was on, the Senate indicted him, there was all kinds of back and forth before
the case of Oke; the two of them were suspended on the same day, they were
investigated by the same panel, the report was submitted same day, and the
President sacked the two on the same day but we were surprised when the EFCC
came back to say that they have extended an invitation to Oke and they were
silent on Babachir Lawal until we came out to say what is going on?
“It was after we came out that
the EFCC said well, we have set up a crack team, what does that mean? You have
invited one, why not invite the other?
“In fact, if there is any case
where you have to handle with care, it is in Oke’s case because the NIA has to
do with our national security architecture.
“We believe that if the EFCC
invited Oke then they should have also invited Babachir Lawal because the
President sacked the two on the same day.
“We don’t even know what the VP’s
committee found against either of them but in the course of their
investigation, they should not give the impression that there is a sacred cow
and there is a vulnerable cow,” Odumakin asserted.
The termination of Mr Oke’s
appointment follows the discovery of huge sums of cash in various currencies in
a private apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Mr Babachir Lawal’s sack on the
other hand, was in connection with allegations of corruption levelled against
him – specifically over the alleged misappropriation of funds meant for
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and lack of due process in the Presidential
Initiative North East (PINE).
He has now been replaced by Boss
Mustapha.
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