Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has slammed former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, for comments he made on the arrest of crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky.
Bobrisky was arrested at Pinnock Estate in Lagos State on Wednesday, April 3, and detained in the Lagos command office of the EFCC, an action Odinkalu had described as an abuse of power.
Spokesperson of the anti-graft agency, Dele Oyewale, in a statement, described Odinkalu’s comments as unbecoming of a former Federal Government official and warned him to be careful with future statements regarding its operations or risk being treated with legal actions.
It reads: “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to some reckless commentaries made by a former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu on the arrest of Idris Okuneye (a.k.a Bobrisky) by the Commission, describing it as evidence of idleness or an abuse of power.
“The Commission views such commentaries from Odinkalu as unbecoming of a former head of a major government agency. Okuneye was arrested and arraigned by the Commission on the basis of clear cases of abuse of the Naira to which he has pleaded guilty.
“Odinkalu has a right to free speech as a Nigerian but such a right should be exercised with decorum and responsibility. The Commission would not hesitate to take appropriate legal actions against such uncouth commentaries against its lawful mandate by anyone.
“Odinkalu is warned and advised to ventilate his rascally opinions more responsibly in future situations.”
Reacting, Odinkalu said the anti graft agency lacks sense of priority having considered themselves useful only as a tool for persecution of people.
“Whatever it is, I am flattered to the point of loss of SoH. I consider this lot there undeserving of any adjectives or multiple syllables from me. So, I will not be retaliating in kind to their doubling down on manifest preoccupation with abuse of power.
“That the EFCC is so devoid of a sense of priorities that they consider themselves useful only as a tool for persecution of people on the margins of society or that they are so idle they consider my opinion deserving of their entire Friday (or both) should bother all responsible citizens.
“It is interesting that the EFCC abandoned the only charges that cld remotely have implicated their raison d’être, which supports the idea that this is idle abuse of power.
“It is just so tragically unfortunate that they consider it their statutory duty at the EFCC to be fiddling while the country burns. If that is not idle abuse of power, I don’t know what is,” Odinkalu said.
