A media aide to former Minister of Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, Julius Bokoru, has criticised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for sealing his principal’s Maitama residence in Abuja over alleged fraud.
Bokoru registered his displeasure in a statement issued on Monday titled “A grave breach of decency: EFCC’s attempted raid and defacement of Sylva’s family home.”
The development comes weeks after the anti-graft agency declared the former Bayelsa State governor wanted in connection with an alleged $14.8 million fraud case.
Before now, military intelligence personnel had stormed Sylva’s residence, arresting his brother and driver over alleged ties to a failed coup plot.
Bokoru had previously faulted the EFCC for declaring the ex-minister wanted without first inviting him for questioning, noting that Sylva later wrote the commission requesting an agreed date to honour its invitation.
The aide accused the EFCC of ignoring due process in its latest operation. Bokoru said the action was undertaken “without a single letter, without a subpoena, without a warrant, without notification, and without even the most basic adherence to lawful process.”
He added, “No courtesy. No procedure. No humanity. It is behaviour unbecoming of any institution that claims to act in the national interest.
“What unfolded today at the Maitama residence of His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, was nothing short of an affront to decency and a troubling assault on the very principles that underpin a civilised society,” the statement read in part.
Post a Comment
Drop Your Comment In The Box Below