… Says Puirile, Laughable And Unfortunate:
Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA) has described as baseless, puirile, laughably unfortunate, the excuses bandied about by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the arbitrary arrest and illegal detention of the social media influencer and social justice campaigner Mr. Martins Innocent Otse otherwise called Very Dark Black Man.
The Rights group said the EFCC has so-far been disingenuous in churning out explanations that can’t even pass for a primary 6 essay writing because the ingredients of the claims for detaining VDM do not in anyway resemble aspects of the mandates and areas of jurisdiction of the anti-graft agency but amounts to the behavior of ‘a man whose house is on fire but he is busy chasing rats’. Nigeria is buffetted by overwhelming corruption by politicians but the EFCC is busy chasing after social media influencers.
HURIWA recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said it arrested the activist in the exercise of its mandate of tackling economic and financial crimes, just as the EFCC alleged that it invited Martins Innocent Otse owing to a series of petitions bordering on sundry issues of alleged financial crimes raised against him.
The anti-graft agency said VDM refused to show up in spite of several invitations sent to him through his known addresses and medium of communication. The petitions pertain to grave allegations of financial malfeasance which cannot be ignored by the Commission.
HURIWA quoted the EFCC as claiming that it has a lawful right to hold Otse in custody like any other suspect being investigated by the Commission. The appropriate Remand Order was obtained in this regard. He has been offered an administrative bail and would be released after fulfilling all the bail conditions.
HURIWA however wondered why the EFCC claims that they got valid petitions against the detained activist even when the lawyer to the detainee confirmed that there is no known valid or existing petitions against his client, a situation the Rights group finds disappointing and shocking just as HURIWA said the actions of the EFCC so far have shown that the anti-graft agency is guilty of abuse of power which is absolutely prohibited by section 15 (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which stipulates thus: “The State SHALL abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power”.
HURIWA however recalled that VDM’s counsel, lawyer Deji Adeyanju, on Monday stated that there is no official petition received by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), raising questions over the legality of his detention.
Adeyanju, who serves as legal counsel to Otse, disclosed this after visiting the activist at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
He expressed serious concerns over the agency’s failure to provide justification for the arrest, which he said lacks any legal foundation.
“Got into the country this evening and went straight to VDM at EFCC. Just left him,” Adeyanju said in a statement shared on his social media handles. HURIWA therefore advised the detained activist to institute a fundamental Rights suit to claim damages of N100 billion for the egregious abuse of his constitutionally guaranteed fundamental freedoms by the EFCC.
In a media release by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA accused the EFCC of embarking on self-help measures and witch-hunt only because the said detained activist is known to have severally pointed out what he called the lack of commitment towards eradication of corruption by the EFCC just as it is true that VDM had on several social media posts criticised the EFCC for treating some persons who allegedly abused the Naira as sacred cows only because they have direct connection to the powers that be.
