The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has tasked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the head of political system of Nigeria to tell the citizens why he has shielded Yahaya Bello from arrest and by so doing undermined the principles of the rule of law.
This is coming after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Wednesday, said ex-Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, who is accused of N80.2bn fraud, had ridiculed the Nigerian justice system by failing to present himself for trial in court and that the system is shielding him from arrest.
In a statement signed by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group recalled that the EFCC acting Zonal Director, Benin Zonal Command, Mr Effa Okim had stated recently thus: “This is the last question I expected because the shame is on all of us. Is that a question I should answer alone? It’s not me, it is the Federal Republic of Nigeria,”
“That politically-exposed Yahaya Bello, whose crime has been traced to him by allegation and has been invited by EFCC to come and explain, and for months he is acting drama and we are all here wanting to ask questions! The shame is our own shame!
“Can’t we catch him? We can, but do we go all out to catch him? Do we need to do that when he has his masters? Can’t they call him and tell him, ‘You are disgracing Nigeria’? What are you telling the world? Tell him to go and explain himself like others have done.
“Where are the ministers? Where are Yahaya Bello’s colleagues, even in his hiding? So, Nigerians can’t tell him ‘This is not fair, go and report; they are not going to kill you’? But people are still eating and dining with him,” Okim said and stated that beyond legality, there was a moral aspect of the case.
The right group in reacting to this damaging allegation made against the political leaders stated that the onus is now on the court of President Tinubu who is obviously the number one head of the political system that is alleged to be hiding Yahaya Bello from reporting himself to the EFCC even when arrest warrant was issued and the EFCC had declared the immediate past governor as a fugitive from the law.
HURIWA which also carpeted the media industry for sweeping the scandal of the failure of the president to ensure that former governor Yahaya Bello is arrested and prosecuted, is tasking the press not to relax and let this highly intolerable abuse and an open slap on the laws of Nigeria by Yahaya Bello and those hiding him inside the impregnable corridors of power to slide by or be consigned to the dustbin of history but the media should maintain constant pressures alongside the civil society organisations, on the president and the law enforcement authorities not to let this massive shame brought on the law enforcement duties of the EFCC to go without heavy penalty.
The right group accused governors of the Nigerian states of not doing enough to compel their former colleague Mr. Yahaya Bello to obey the law and report himself before the EFCC to be prosecuted before the competent court of law whereby all his constitutional safeguard and privileges would be adequately protected by the court of law.
HURIWA is also reminding the Chairman of EFCC of his sworn promise to resign if the former governor of Kogi state does not face penalty for his alleged financial infractions.
The group called on the EFCC chairman to get ready to resign as he publicly promised to do so as just as the group stated that it is becoming clearer that the political system wouldn’t let the uninhibited prosecution of Yahaya Bello to take place.
