‘EFCC didn’t give Yahaya Bello fair hearing’, youths protest in Abuja

Youths in their hundreds under the auspices of Kogi Independent Youths Association, rallied in support of their immediate past Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to mark this year’s workers’ day celebration. They marched through the major streets of Abuja along Wuse Zone, 1 singing solidarity songs in praise of Yahaya Bello and at the same time […]

Youths in their hundreds under the auspices of Kogi Independent Youths Association, rallied in support of their immediate past Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to mark this year’s workers’ day celebration.

They marched through the major streets of Abuja along Wuse Zone, 1 singing solidarity songs in praise of Yahaya Bello and at the same time condemned what they described as high handedness and illegality of the EFCC in handling Bello’s case.

They, in particular, condemned EFCC’s illegal exposure of the former Governor’s children in the ongoing corruption allegations against the former Governor. They accused the EFCC of violating the provisions of the Child’s Rights Act and that the EFCC chairman should be prosecuted for that.

“We, members of the Kogi Independent Youths Association, hereby wish to decry the manner in which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is handling the alleged corruption case against the former Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, and the systemic manner they are violating the constitutionally guaranteed rights of his children who have nothing whatsoever to do with whatever the Commission is investigating their parents for, president of the association, Comrade Mohammed Abdulrazak Sanni, said.

“Let it be on record that we do not support corruption in any manner. What we are against is not following due processes to carry out law enforcement duties especially when you begin to drag in innocent children into the fray. This can damage them psychologically for life. Children don’t play politics. Children can’t be punished for the sins of their parents even when such has been proven. Nobody deserves to be punished for a crime they know nothing about, not to talk of innocent children.

“Today’s rally is the first in the series of actions we have laid out until justice is done in this matter. All these concerns will be presented to the National Human Rights Commission any moment from now for appropriate intervention especially to protect the rights of the innocent children who have been dragged into this political war by the EFCC.

“As educated youths who are versed in the practice and procedures concerning the arrest, arraignment, and prosecution of an accused person, the due process of the law is sacrosanct and must be duly adhered to and complied with.

“Former Governor Yahaya Bello has not been shown any fairness, which is a cardinal principle of law. He has not been served with the notice of charges against him, or arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction by the EFCC, but he has already been arraigned, tried, and convicted by the EFCC going by their utterances in the media and unnecessary display of executive drama.

“The 1999 Constitution as Amended guarantees the innocence of an accused person until otherwise proven, but the conduct of EFCC in the pursuit of their persecution of Governor Yahaya Bello, had thrown all cautions to the wind and turned his botched arrest into a television and social media soap opera. This is being done to demonise him.”