The federal government has called on Yayaha Bello, the former governor of Kogi, to honour EFCC's invitation The call came through AGF Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) who asked the former governor to submit himself to the anti-graft agency for investigation Fagbemi, however, said it is against Nigeria's constitution for any institution of the state to infringe upon the rights of citizen.
In a statement on Thursday, April 18, Fagbemi, called on Bello to honourably submit himself to the EFCC to do carry out its constitutional duties.
In the AGF's view, the action of Governor Ahmed Ododo, who used his immunity to prevent Bello’s arrest on Wednesday, April 17, was ‘disquieting’.
Fagbemi who said he stands for the rule of law and frowns against the right of any Nigerian being infringed upon, stated that embarking on a temporising self-help and escapism portrays Nigeria in a bad light.
The bizarre drama confronting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the course of its efforts to perform its statutory duty has come to my notice (Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice) as a matter of very grave concern.
It is now beyond doubt that the EFCC is given power by the law to invite any person of interest to interact with them in the course of their investigation into any matter regardless of status. Therefore, the least that we can all do when invited, is not to put any obstruction in the way of EFCC but to honourably answer their invitation.
A situation where public officials who are themselves subject of protection by law enforcement agents will set up a stratagem of obstruction to the civil and commendable efforts of the EFCC to perform its duty is, to say the least, insufferably disquieting. A flight from the law does not resolve issues at stake but only exacerbates it. “I, therefore, encourage anyone who has been invited by the EFCC or any other agency to immediately toe the path of decency and civility by honouring such invitation instead of embarking on a temporising self-help and escapism that can only put our country in bad light before the rest of the world.”
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