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Fayose Threatens To Sue EFCC, Demands N20bn As Damages, Written Apology

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Fayose Threatens To Sue EFCC, Demands N20bn As Damages, Written Apology

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For placing him on watch list and directing that he should be arrested
if he attempted to travel out of the country as a sitting governor
conferred with constitutional immunity against any criminal
proceedings, Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has demanded N20
billion as damages from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), a written apology from to be published to all Security
Agencies in Nigeria, three National Newspapers and the Social Media as
well as withdrawal of the request/directive to Security Agencies to
place him on security watch list.

He threatens that “unless these demands are met within 72 hours of the
date of this letter, we shall not hesitate to carry out our client’s
firm instruction to proceed forthwith to institute legal action
against you to seek appropriate remedies before the law court without
any further recourse to you.”

Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New
Media, Lere Olayinka, said in a statement issued on Thursday that the
demands were contained in a letter by his counsel, Obafemi Adewale,
dated September 3, 2018, which was received at the Abuja office of the
EFCC yesterday.

The letter read; “By a letter Ref No: 3000/EFCC/ABJ/EG/TA/VOL.59/010
dated 12th September, 2018, you instructed all Security Agencies in
Nigeria, including but not limited to the Nigerian Customs Service,
NCC, to place our Client on a watch list and to arrest him at sight
upon ‘suspicion’ that he might be attempting to flee the country. In
your exact words, we quote:  ‘The under listed suspect is under
investigation in connection with the above mentioned offences and
there is reasonable suspicion suggesting that he may likely leave the
country either through the land borders, airport, or seaport in order
to invade investigation. Hence, you are kindly requested to watch-list
and arrest him.’

“By these words, you have not only fallen foul of the clear provision
of Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic which
grants our Client, as an incumbent Governor, immunity from any
criminal process/proceedings, you have also exposed our Client to
ridicule, opprobrium, odium and hatred in the eyes and opinion of the
ordinary man on the street and falsely and mischievously portrayed him
as a common fugitive, a run-away from the law who could/should be
arrested at sight like a dangerous criminal.

“By this act and words, particularly coming after our Client had by
his letter of 10th September, 2018 duly received in your office on
11th September, 2018 voluntarily without any prompting by you or
anybody else, offered to report in your office in Abuja on 16th
September, 2018, the very next day after his tenure as Governor, Ekiti
State would have ended and his immunity lifted, you have demonstrated
premeditated mischief, open hatred for our Client and contempt for his
office as Governor. This is even moreso when considered against the
background of your earlier threat on your official EFCC twitter handle
which was widely circulated on the social media and published in the
Punch Newspaper of 16th July, 2018 where you mocked our Client in the
following words to the whole world: ‘The parri is over, the cloak of
immunity is torn apart and the staff broken, Ekiti Integrated
Poultry/Biological Concepts Limited N1.3bn fraud case file dusted off
the shelves. See you soon.’

“In the light of the above, our Client has directed that we demand of
you and we hereby demand as follows; a retraction and withdrawal of
the aforesaid request/directive to Security Agencies to place our
Client of the security watch list and arrest him at sight even whilst
he still enjoys immunity as Governor forthwith.

“A written apology to our Client published to all Security Agencies in
Nigeria and in 3 National Newspapers and the Social Media for the
flagrant mischievous and deliberate attempt to breach his
constitutional rights and malign him in the eyes of right thinking
members of the society.

“Payment of the sum of N20bn as damages to our Client for the
flagrant, deliberate, pre-meditated and reckless libel and unprovoked
attack on his character and reputation and breach of his
constitutional right/immunity as an incumbent Governor.

“Take notice that unless these demands are met within 72 hours of the
date of this letter, we shall not hesitate to carry out our client’s
firm instruction to proceed forthwith to institute legal action
against you to seek appropriate remedies before the law court without
any further recourse to you.”

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