Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has once again criticised the Bola Tinubu-led administration for using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to target critics and members of the opposition into silence.
In a post on X, Atiku referred to the recent arrests of Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan and a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Muhammad Kazaure.
According to him, this is a well-worn pattern of lawlessness with brazen disregard for due process.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has once again plunged headlong into its well-worn pattern of lawlessness, arresting and detaining citizens with brazen disregard for due process and without offering any justification for its actions.
“We witnessed this same abuse in the unlawful arrest and detention of Mr. Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, whose release was only secured after massive public outrage and pressure.
“Now, the EFCC has targeted Hon. Muhammad Kazaure, a former member of the House of Representatives and an unapologetic critic of the gross misgovernance and failings of the Tinubu administration. Abducted in Kano and whisked away to Abuja, Kazaure is presently being held incommunicado, with no formal charge or explanation offered to his family, legal team, or the Nigerian people”.
The former Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Candidate argued that if there were legitimate grounds for arresting any citizen, such action must adhere strictly to the rule of law. He added that the EFCC is duty-bound to publicly disclose the reasons for any arrest and must not detain individuals indefinitely under the guise of investigation.
“By once again trampling on the fundamental rights of a Nigerian citizen, the EFCC is entrenching itself deeper into the mire of impunity and constitutional delinquency. Its deafening silence regarding the arrest of Hon. Kazaure, a man who represented the good people of Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa, and Yankwashi federal constituency, lays bare the agency’s contempt for transparency and justice.
“We are left with no choice but to conclude that Kazaure’s ordeal is a direct consequence of his fearless and unrelenting criticism of this administration. This government’s hypocrisy is as staggering as it is shameless: while it strikes cosy deals with politically connected figures tainted by corruption, it unleashes the machinery of the state to harass and silence its critics.
“The Nigerian people are watching. And history will not forget”, Atiku concluded.
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