Arrest of State Officials: Ekiti Assembly threatens Magu With Contempt

The Ekiti State House of Assembly has threatened the Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, with contempt of court over the arrest and detention of the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Toyin Ojo; and the Accountant General, Mrs. Yemi Owolabi.

Ojo, and Owolabi were last Thursday arrested by the operatives of the EFCC over alleged misapplication of resources accrued to the state government.

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The Assembly in a letter described the arrests of Ojo and Owolabi as “premeditated, malicious, politically motivated, contemptuous and unconstitutional in all ramifications;” saying it smacked of “gangsterism by an agency that derives its power from the constitution but acts in clear contempt of the rule of law.”

The letter, which was dated October 2, and signed by the Speaker, Mr. Kolawole Oluwawole, was delivered at the EFCC’s Abuja office on Tuesday.

“We, therefore, wish to put you on notice that should you fail to desist from further disobedience to the court order mentioned above by continuous infraction against the people and the government of Ekiti State, contempt proceeding will be initiated against you without delay,” the letter said.

Earlier, the Attorney-General of Ekiti State, Kolapo Kolade, had described as unconstitutional the arrest of the duo by the EFCC, insisting that the arrest was in contempt of a valid subsisting order issued in 2016 by a Federal High Court in a suit FHC/AD/CS/32/2016 in which the EFCC was a defendant.

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