Woman tackles EFCC over husband’s detention by EFCC for alleged land grabbing, seeks Tinubu’s intervention
Mrs Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to intervene in what she sees as unlawful detention of her husband and his staff by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged land grabbing.
She urged the President to direct that the rule of law take its course in the matter, alleging the continued detention of the suspects contradicted section 35 of the Nigerian constitution and amounts to an infringement on their fundamental human rights.
The distraught woman made her plea in a press statement she signed and distributed to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja.
She frowned at continued detention of her husband and staff despite satisfying all bail conditions required by law.
According to the woman, her husband, Mr Godwin-Isaac, and his staff were arrested over two weeks ago, following allegations of land grabbing by the EFCC without investigating the matter.
The statement read: “Section 35 of the Nigerian constitution prescribes that no law enforcement agency has the right to detain one in a civil matter for more than 48 hours.
“This is 13 days and still counting that my husband and several workers are detained by EFCC operatives without prosecuting or releasing them.
“It is a contravention of section 35 of Nigeria’s constitution and an infringement on their right to freedom.”
She asked the EFCC not to take laws into their hands and affirmed that her husband and others had satisfied all bail conditions required by law to warrant their release but are still in detention.
She insisted that there is no basis for keeping the suspects in detention instead of releasing or charging them to court for trial according to the laws of the land.
However, Mrs Godwin-Isaac expressed her belief in the democratic leadership qualities of President Tinubu, and appealed to him to let justice prevail.
“The EFCC Chairman has asked the Elizabeth Eke-led E&SS department to release my husband and yet they refused.
“I don’t know her personal interest in the matter that she has refused to obey the law and her boss.
“My husband and I are people of integrity without any record of corruption or fraud or land grabbing. So, I wonder why EFCC should be terrorizing us,” she said, adding that she had never met the Yesufu family who are alleged to be behind the arrest of her husband and staff over alleged land-grabbing.
