ALLEGED EXTORTION: Shehu Sani legally detained, has questions to answer —EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) on Friday dismissed insinuations by some friends and sympathisers of the former senator representing Kaduna North Senatorial District, Shehu Sani, that he was being illegally detained by the Commission over a non-existing bribery matter.

However, the EFCC made it clear that the social critic was validly being detained via a court order for allegedly collecting $25,000 from the chairman of ASD Motors using the names of the EFCC acting chairman and the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

The acting Head of Media and Publicity for the EFCC, Tony Orilade, said in a statement that it was unfortunate for some elements to impute false motive over the arrest and detaining of a suspect over a criminal matter without seeking to know the truth behind the case.

The EFCC said: The Commission has taken note of insinuations and phantom claims that it is ‘prosecuting’ Senator Shehu Sani, because he is a known critic of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Read also: Extortion allegation a total falsehood packaged in phantom anti-graft façade – Shehu Sani

“The Commission wishes to state that Senator Shehu Sani is currently facing criminal investigation, and he is being detained by the EFCC in very conducive environment, based on a valid court order.

“Invariably, claims in some quarters of the breach of his fundamental human rights, is merely in the imagination of the purveyors of such claims.

“Let it be stated clearly, that Senator Shehu Sani has questions to answer as regards the alleged involvement in name-dropping, and particularly that he obtained $25,000 from Alhaji Sani Dauda, the ASD Motors boss, in order to help shield him from investigations being carried out by the EFCC.

“For certain people to brazenly come out to defend a suspect, who is being probed for a serious offence as the one committed by Sani shows that they are not really conversant with his offence.

“It is unfortunate that certain people are ready to do anything to support evil for pecuniary gains. It is quite unfortunate.”

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