Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister has slumped in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, The Trent can report.
The People’s Democratic Party chieftain
was re-arrested by the EFCC on Friday, October 21, 2016 in the premises
of the federal high court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
According to sources familiar with the
situation, Fani-Kayode slumped in the EFCC detention centre on Saturday
and was rushed to a hospital where he was placed on admission.
This development has been confirmed to The Trent
by his spokesperson, Jude Ndukwe. In a statement exclusively obtained
by our newspaper on Monday, October 24, 2016, Ndukwe conveyed the fears
of the Fani-Kayode family over the life of the outspoken critic of the
Buhari government.
Below is the full statement and beneath it, documents from his legal counsel on the subject matter.
When Chief Femi Fani-Kayode was rearrested on Friday, 21st
of October, 2016, in the premises of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi,
Lagos, we raised a number of issues which included that the re-arrest
was not only unnecessary but that it was also reckless.
We made known our fears that
Fani-Kayode’s life was in dire danger as long as he remained in EFCC
custody or in the custody of any agency of the federal government based
on discreet information available to us. This is apart from the fact
that his health has been badly affected since his incarceration for a
whopping 67 days based on some questionable ‘detention orders’. This
fact is well known to the EFCC as Fani-Kayode’s lawyers have written
several letters to the Commission reminding them of the health
conditions of the former minister of aviation (Kindly see attached).
It is therefore shocking that having
known these facts, the EFCC still acted in a most unprofessional and
crude way by re-arresting a man who has never been known to turn down
their invitation even for once, who was since granted administrative
bail by the same Commission after meeting the stringent conditions set
by them; a man who is also supposed to be on bail as granted by the
courts after fulfilling the conditions, and who even has his
international passport still lodged with the Commission.
Although Chief Femi Fani-Kayode was yet
to complete the recovery therapy he was undergoing after spending the
initial 67 grueling days in EFCC custody wherein he was also physically
attacked by one of the Commission’s agents, in deference to the law and
the Commission, he painfully but willingly cut short his therapy and
medical checks to attend court proceedings.
One would have thought that these were
enough to convince EFCC that Fani-Kayode was very willing to face his
persecutors in court. But rather than be humane in their conduct, EFCC
hounded him for the umpteenth time on that fateful Friday and have since
kept him in custody.
It is therefore little wonder that based
on the history of his medical conditions which the Commission is very
much aware of, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode slumped while in detention on
Saturday, 22nd of October, 2016.
But for the quick and professional
intervention of the medical team in the EFCC medical facilities, the
story could have been different, it could have been fatal!
We must commend the medical staff at the
Commission’s medical facility. They were prompt in their response, and
very impressive in their care. It is very heartwarming to know that some
professionals have not allowed the political witch hunt and persecution
of political opponents and perceived enemies taint their professional
calling. We hope this extends to all facets of the Nigerian society.
Nigerians would recall that we had
earlier raised the alarm about the danger in which Fani-Kayode’s life is
right now; we are shocked that that danger rather than ebb away is
becoming a reality slowly but steadily. If not, why re-arrest and keep
him in detention when he has not failed to appear before the Commission
or even before the courts at any time, neither has he ever been declared
wanted?
The fresh charges for which he was said
to have been re-arrested were presented to him over the weekend and they
border on an alleged N26m which he was accused to have collected from
the erstwhile NSA, Sambo Dasuki, and he has since signed for the charges
while he waits for his day in court. So, why still detain him if there
is no sinister motive behind it all?
From the foregoing, it is obvious that
this issue about corruption is nothing but an already exposed façade for
the silencing of opposition voices, and keep Fani-Kayode out of
circulation as long as practicable since he is seen by many as one of
the strongest voices against tyranny, oppression and executive
lawlessness.
For the avoidance of doubt, we reiterate
our earlier warning that nothing untoward must happen to Chief Femi
Fani-Kayode whether now or in the nearest future. Should anything happen
to him, we can assure those responsible that there would be reactions
of unimaginable propensity.
It is not all sacrifices that the gods
accept. There are some sacrifices that even oracles reject for fear of
untamable repercussions!
Nigerians are watching and waiting!
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