The EFCC has said that it’s against the law to stop its officers from doing their jobs.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale said in a statement that it is important to warn people and groups being investigated by the commission not to hire thugs to stop the EFCC from doing its job.
He said, “On several occasions, operatives of the commission have had to exercise utmost restraint in the face of such provocation to avoid a breakdown of law and order. Regrettably, such disposition is being construed as a sign of weakness.
“The commission, therefore, warns that it will henceforth not tolerate any attempt by any person or organisation to obstruct its operation as such will be met with appropriate punitive actions,” the EFCC said.
Section 38(2)(a)(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act says that if someone stops EFCC officers from doing their job, they can go to jail for at least five years.
The anti-corruption agents were stopped by a crowd of supporters from arresting the former governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello in Abuja on Wednesday.
There was chaos when there were gunshots in the air as the governor of Kogi State, Ododo, reportedly stopped the police from arresting his predecessor and political mentor.
BNN said there was a problem at Bello’s house on Wednesday. The EFCC came to arrest Bello, and there was a confrontation.
Ododo came to the house during the argument and it’s believed that he left later with Bello in his official car with dark windows.
Several hours after the EFCC officers arrived and couldn’t complete their task, they got more help from the police and DSS officers.
However, when Governor Ododo was leaving Bello’s house, the security guards noticed that the previous governor was in the governor’s car. This made them start shooting.
In Nigeria, the president, vice president, governors, and their deputies are protected from being arrested and prosecuted for personal matters while they are in office. They can only be prosecuted after they have finished their term.
Leave a Reply