Ohanaeze Salutes ‘Courageous’ Justice Ekwo For Voiding Forfeiture Of Ekweremadu’s Property

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Monday, commended the Federal High Court, Abuja, for vacating the interim order which sanctioned the forfeiture of 40 properties belonging to the former deputy Senate president, Senator Professor Ike Ekweremadu, to the federal government.

Ohanaeze made its stand in a release by its national publicity secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia.

Recall that the trial justice, Inyang Ekwo, in vacating the interim order, berated the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the role it played in the continued detention of Ekweremadu in the United Kingdom, saying ‘no Nigerian should be made to pass through such ordeal whether at home or abroad’.

Justice Ekwo had, in November 2022, given the interim order based on the facts brought before it by the EFCC.

But in the current ruling, Justice Ekwo accused the EFCC of suppressing material facts before the court, and thus misdirecting the court.

Dr Ogbonnia said, “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo salutes the courage of Justice Ekwo in reversing himself based on clear facts adduced by Ekweremadu’s lawyers before the court.

“It beats imagination that EFCC would desperately rush to court with false and distorted facts to secure a ruling against Ekweremadu who is being unjustly held in the UK prison when it (EFCC) knew he was not in a position to defend himself.”

Ohanaeze, in the statement, condemned ‘the action of the EFCC which portrays it as a partisan tool in the hands of some highly placed people to fight imaginary or real enemies’.

The statement added, “Ohanaeze stands on a firm wicket to state that it will not augur well for our country if the state institutions like the EFCC are being wilfully deployed to serve narrow and partisan interests.

“We counsel the EFCC to ensure that at all times its actions are guided by time-honoured principles of equity and fairness.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo is vindicated on its earlier position that there are several corruption cases in the EFCC but the haste, indiscretion, bias, media trial and callousness with which the agency of the federal government has chosen to backstab a Nigerian citizen is counter-intuitive and an indelible adverse image on the country.”