Levinus Nwabughiogu
ABUJA-Chief Mike Ozekhome, the principal attorney to the detained former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Puis Anyim on Friday let out a yell that his client was still held by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC despite fulling bail conditions.
ABUJA-Chief Mike Ozekhome, the principal attorney to the detained former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Puis Anyim on Friday let out a yell that his client was still held by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC despite fulling bail conditions.
He said that recent report that the former SGF had been released by the anti-graft agency who arrested him days ago was a hoax meant to hoodwink the unsuspecting members of the public and subsequently divert attention to the inhuman treatment allegedly being meted out to Anyim in detention.
In a statement, Ozekhome appealed to the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami to prevail on EFCC to release Anyim to attend to his health, stressing that he had met all the bail conditions preferred against him.
The statement read thus: “We are Solicitors to Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, former SGF, who was detained by the EFCC and has since been kept in it’s gulag for about 9 days.
“Our attention has been drawn to carefully planted false and misleading reports published in various online and newsprint media to the effect that Anyim has since Wednesday, 22nd November, 2017, been released by the EFCC on administrative bail. This is a lie from the pit of hell. These false reports which credit their source to “unnamed sources within the EFCC” have continued to circulate throughout Thursday and Friday, with the intent to deceive the world and divert its attention from the gross abuse of the fundamental rights of Anyim who has been kept under inhuman and degrading conditions for this unconstitutionally lengthy period.
“The truth is that Anyim is still held in EFCC custody till this minute, inspite of fulfilling all administrative bail conditions laid out for him, including deposit of his international passport and being compelled, under duress and undue influence, to sign all manners of self-incriminating and property-stripping documents against his will.
“Inspite of these and the clear provisions of sections 35 and 36 of the Nigerian Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), the EFCC has bluntly refused to release Anyim to go and attend to his very poor health over which he was receiving treatment before he was forcible taken away from his home.
“This is calling upon the Attorney General of the Federation and minister of Justice to prevail on the EFCC (and all law enforcement agencies), to respect the rule of law and the Constitution they have sworn to protect and defend by promptly ordering Anyim’s release forthwith, since no charges have been preferred against him and since he has fulfilled all administrative bail conditions.”
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