Politics
EFCC makes conditional vow to jail Patience Jonathan
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has vowed to do everything within its power to bring former First Lady, Patience Jonathan to book, if she is indicted in ongoing investigations.
The anti-graft agency made the vow on Wednesday in Lagos through its Deputy Director of Operations, Mr. Illiyasu Kwarbai, when he received a group of protesters who submitted a petition against Mrs Jonathan and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The Protesters, under the aegis of Human Rights Defenders and Advocacy Centre, HRDAC, accused the EFCC of being selective in its anti-graft war, and wondered why Patience was still walking freely in spite of the evidence, which they said the EFCC had against her.
The HRDAC also advised the EFCC to change its slogan from “Nobody is above the law,” since it had not been able to probe the likes of Patience, ex-Presidents, including Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan and the source of APC’s funding for 2015 elections.
Read also: More judges arrested as victims flood DSS with petitions
Responding, Kwarbai insisted the EFCC was not being selective in the fight against corruption, explaining that it does not arrest people arbitrarily but work based on petitions submitted to it.
He said: “Let me tell you, there is no sacred cow; anybody who is found wanting, who involves himself or herself in corrupt practices will not be spared. I have received your petition, it is here and what do we do? We go into investigation immediately. Now we have seen the name of Patience Jonathan; it is here. If she is found wanting, she will never go scot-free. So also any other person no matter how highly placed he is.
“We must sanitise our country and provide a very good environment that people can come and invest in; an economy that is devoid of any economic and financial crime. So, we are happy to see you here; we have received it and we are going to go into action. I am going to inform my chairman that you were here and that we’ll commence investigation immediately.”
By Timothy Enietan-Matthews….
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