Following the continued detention of the immediate past governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, the youths have staged a solidarity protest at the Ilorin Zonal Command office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as the ex-governor’s detention at the anti-graft agency Ilorin office entered a third day on Wednesday.
The Informant247 reports that Abdulfatah Ahmed, the former governor of Kwara, is currently being quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over shady transactions running into billions of naira while he was in office.
The Informant247 gathered that the ex-governor was seen arriving at the Ilorin office of the EFCC on Monday morning.
The anti-graft agency invited him, and he is currently answering questions about how he spent over N3 billion during his tenure as the governor.
Ahmed was elected the governor of Kwara State between May 2011 and May 2019 before handing over to the incumbent, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
Ahmed was once interrogated in May 2021 by a crack team of operatives at the EFCC headquarters in the Jabi area of Abuja, the nation’s capital, in connection with the alleged diversion of funds to the tune of about N9 billion from the coffers of the Kwara State Government.
The money was allegedly diverted during Ahmed’s tenure as governor of the state and when he served as the Commissioner for Finance in the administration of ex-Governor Bukola Saraki.
The PDP protesters, chanting anti-EFCC songs, displayed various placards with inscriptions such as, “The opposition cannot be silenced”, “Maigida will not join APC no matter what”, ” EFCC stop the harassment”, “Stop the persecution, Investigate 17bn in secret account”.
Meanwhile, the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Olusegun Adewara (Shollyment), while addressing the press, accused the anti-graft agency of holding former governor Ahmed without regard to the law.
He also accused the EFCC of doing the bidding of the state Governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, to force Ahmed to join the All Progressives Congress, APC, silence the opposition, and turn Kwara into a one-party state.
He said, “The EFCC Ilorin zonal office has shown to be corrupt, and you cannot use corruption to fight corruption.
“We are not against the agency’s claim to fight corruption, but if you want to do so, follow due process.
“What we have now is against the law. You can’t keep a former Governor in detention for more than 48 hours and refuse to charge him.
Adewara also said the former Governor has not eaten since Monday or allowed to see his lawyers, doctor, and even family members.
“Ahmed has a history of always honouring the EFCC’s invitation. While in office, he always declared the state’s monthly allocation, unlike the present administration.
“We are aware that Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq is the one using the EFCC. The EFCC is now a department in the APC, telling him to join APC.
“If EFCC really wants to fight corruption, let them investigate the N17bn of Kwara state money kept in a secret bank account as we speak.”
However, Micheal Nzekwe, the EFCC zonal commander in Ilorin, while addressing the protesting party members, denied the allegations, adding that his lawyers were always with him and that his doctor also attended to him today.
Nzekwe noted that the EFCC is an independent agency, a creation of law, and will always comply with the law of the land while acknowledging the citizens’ right to protest, provided it’s peaceful.
According to him, the agency invited the former Governor following a strong petition written against him.
“He is co-operating, and we’re making progress. Let me also state that we are not prompted by anyone. Or when did the EFCC start to be partisan?” he queried.
“We are just doing our job and will be fair as required by the law in its investigation. As soon as we finish, we’ll take the next step.”