Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy Group: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has described as ‘satanic’, grossly disturbing and a global embarrassment, the conspiratorial silence of the current federal administration to the damaging revelations disclosed about certain current political office holders (excluding Peter Obi) especially some of the Senators, Governors belonging to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Rights group says it has studied the revelations in greater details and finds nothing wrong about the former governor of Anambra State Mr. Peter Obi who the Rights group described as a very clean, transparent and trustworthy self-made rich man who was already very prosperous before venturing into politics. The Rights group wonders why Premium Times spent undue time talking about Peter Obi and then before divulging other bigger fishes in the said scams.
However the group said the total media black out and lack of any sort of executive or prosecutorial actions by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami against his (Malami’s) Kebbi State governor and kinsman linked to the Abacha loots, the Acting managing Director of Nigerian ports Authority Mr. Mohammed Koko and the Anambra North Senator Mrs. Stella Odua who is about to be forgiven and granted soft landing by president Buhari for cross carpeting into APC from PDP that gave her mandate to represent her constituency in the Senate of the 9th session and importantly, the silence on the fact that the Osun State governor allegedly bought a London mansion belonging to Mr. Aluko implicated in the massive heists of NNPC’S resources by erstwhile petrol minister and fugitive Mrs. Allison Madulkwe, shows that there is no longer any crusade against corruption. HURIWA said it was scandalous that the President visited erstwhile Lagos State governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu reportedly in the same allegedly criminally acquired mansion in London.
“We are even the more disturbed that rather than wage a clean war against corruption, the government is using carrot and stick approach to lure allegedly corrupt members of the previous government to cross carpet into APC and then receive political pardon. How then do you want the EFCC to work genuinely against corruption when the officials see their suspects dining and wining at the Presidential Villa with President Muhammadu Buhari who is the appointing authority of the EFCC’s hierarchy?”
HURIWA condemned the decision of the Federal Attorney General to look away from the revelations emerging from the Pandora papers but he has instead began a war of Vendetta against anti-corruption campaigner Mr. Siraju Olarewaju.
HURIWA recalled with considerable consternation and shock that the Federal Government filed charges against Chairman of Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, for allegedly cyberstalking former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Mohammed Adoke.
The suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/370/2021, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, is coming six months after Suraju was arrested by the police following a petition by the former AGF.
The police had on April 15 interrogated Suraju over a forgery petition by Adoke, demanding probe of email evidence presented against him by prosecutors in the Malabu trial in Milan, Italy, admitting that the Malabu transaction was a scam.
According to the lead prosecution counsel, Mr. A.O. Shaibu, the HEDA boss’ actions violate Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015, with the aim to dent the image of Mr. Adoke.
In count one, Suraju is accused of intentionally circulating an audio telephone interview between Ms. Carlamaria Rumur, a reporter with RIAReporter in Italy and Mohammed Adoke via his twitter handle @HEDAagenda, which he knew to be false, for the purpose of causing insult to Adoke and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention ETC) Act 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act.
In count 2, Suraju is accused of committing the same alleged offence in count one through the Twitter handle @HEDAResourcecentre.
In count 3, he is accused of intentionally circulating an email dated June 21, 2011, alleged to have been sent with the email address agroupproperties@yahoo.com owned by A Group Properties and received by a certain Osoluke Bayo O. with the email address bayo.o.osoluke@ipmorgan, “which you knew to be false via your Twitter handle @HEDAagenda for the purpose of causing insult to Adoke and hereby committed an offense contrary to section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention ETC) Act 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act.”
HURIWA has therefore asked the AGF to end the persecution of this anti-graft crusader but should focus on truly waging result oriented war against corruption.
HURIWA recalled that the media reported that The acting Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko, is allegedly involved in offshore shenanigans, hiding behind two shell companies incorporated in a tax and secrecy haven to anonymously invest in the United Kingdom property market, potentially violating Nigeria’s public service code of conduct laws, the ongoing Pandora Papers reporting has revealed.
Mr Bello-Koko according to media estimation is possibly hoping to be confirmed the substantive NPA chief by President Muhammadu Buhari. The current substantive head of the agency, Hadiza Bala-Usman, remains on suspension following her disagreement with the transportation minister, Rotimi Amaechi. It is unclear if she would be recalled with a probe of her tenure seemingly unending.
Mr Bello-Koko, with his wife, Agatha Anne Koko, enlisted the services of financial secrecy seller, Cook Worldwide and Alemán, Cordero, Galindo & Lee (Alcogal), an offshore law firm, to register Coulwood Limited (reg. number: 1487897) and Marney Limited (reg. number: 1487944) in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), one of the world’s most commonly used tax havens, in 2008. Both companies were registered the same day, June 19, 2008.