RAISING eyebrow over what they described as selective arrests and prosecution of alleged corrupt persons by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), about 20 civil society organisations, under the aegis of Coalition for Civil Liberty and Equity (CCLE), have concluded plans to stage a protest in Abuja to push for the sack of the chairman of the commission, Ibrahim Larmode.
The groups said on Sunday that they were angered that the commission had undertaken arbitrary arrest of former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido; his sons; former Head of Service, Mr Steve Orosanye and a host of other Nigerians.
Mallam Isa Haruna of the Arewa Front for National Advancement (AFNA) and Muideen Olaniyi of the Network for National Integration (NNI), who spoke on behalf of the groups via a statement, noted that the protest would be to draw attention to what they alleged as compromised nature of the anti-graft agency.
According to them, Nigerians of good intentions would be wary of serving in government if the trend persisted.
“The sudden resurgence of the EFCC after a long period of hibernation and lack of direction amounts to grandstanding and cosmetic effort to deceive the present administration and Nigerians that the anti-graft body is working.
“The present witch-hunt and cabal-sponsored arrests and bogus charges would cast Nigeria in bad light before the international community and all men of good conscience,” they said.