8.4 C
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Security Watch List: Fayose Slams N20bn Suit On EFCC

Published:

LATEST NEWS

- Advertisement -

Security Watch List: Fayose Slams N20bn Suit On EFCC

Can INEC Still Be Trusted?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has slammed a N20 billion
suit on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for
placing him on watch list and directing that he should be arrested if
he attempted to travel out of the country despite being a sitting
governor conferred with constitutional immunity against any criminal
proceedings.

He said that the EFCC action not only breached his constitutional
immunity, it also exposed him to public opium and ridicule, adding
that directing that he should be arrested was anathema to the laws of
the land.

In a letter by his counsel, Obafemi Adewale, dated September 3, 2018,
the governor had given EFCC 72 hours to withdraw the request/directive
to Security Agencies to place him on security watch list and publish a
written apology to all Security Agencies in Nigeria, three National
Newspapers and the Social Media.

Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New
Media, Lere Olayinka, said in a statement issued on Tuesday, that
consequent upon EFCC failure to accede to his demands as contained in
the letter, Governor Fayose’s counsel filed the suit number
FHC/ABJ/CS/1087/2018 in Abuja last Friday.

It should be recalled that EFCC had tweeted on July 16, 2018 through
its official twitter handle @officialEFCC concerning Governor Fayose
that “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 suit, Governor Fayose is seeking among other things; an order
of the Court
mandating the EFCC to pay the sum of N20 billion as general damages to
the for what he called  “flagrant, deliberate, pre-meditated and
reckless libel and unprovoked attack on his character and reputation
and the breach of his constitutional right/immunity as an incumbent
Governor.”

He demanded that the EFCC should tender a written apology, which
should be circulated to all Security Agencies in Nigeria and same
should be published in at least three widely read National Newspapers
and through the social media.

The governor is also seeking a declaration that the statements
contained in the EFCC letter dated September 12, 2018, and addressed
to all Security Agencies in Nigeria portrayed him as a criminal, a
fugitive and a run-away from the law, and that the statements are not
true, are malicious, are not fair statements.

He wants the court to further declare; “that the EFCC letter placing
him on watch-list and
directing his arrest on sight even while a sitting Governor is
unconstitutional as same offends the clear provision of Section 308 of
the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)
which clothes the him with immunity against arrest and prosecution as
an incumbent Governor.”

“That the tweet by the Defendant (EFCC) through its official twitter
handle, which was widely circulated through social media and published
on Punch Newspaper (online) of 16th July, 2018, with the particulars
wordings pleaded in the Statement of Claim filed along with this Writ
is not true, is malicious, is not a fair statement and presents the
Plaintiff as a fraudster thereby ridiculing him and reducing him in
the eyes of reasonable and right-thinking members of the society.”

Hey there! Exciting news - we've deactivated our website's comment provider to focus on more interactive channels! Join the conversation on our stories through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media pages, and let's chat, share, and connect in the best way possible!

Join our social media

For even more exclusive content!

spot_imgspot_imgspot_img

Of The Week
CARTOON

TOP STORIES

- Advertisement -

Of The Week
CARTOON

247Ureports Protects its' news articles from plagiarism as an important part of maintaining the integrity of our website.