EFCC DENIES ARRESTING ONNOGHEN
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed reports
that it has arrested the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter
Onnoghen, as untrue.
It said that
it neither invited the CJN nor went to his residence, urging the public to
discountenance the reports.
The
commission, in a statement signed by its acting head, media and publicity, Tony
Orilade, accused former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, and Yinka
Odumakin of spreading falsehood .
It said: “the attention of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to the falsehood, which has been
spreading on the social media, that the EFCC has arrested the Chief Justice of
Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen. This is not only a figment of the imagination
of the purveyor of the fake news, but an evil machination by the creator and
carriers of the news aimed at creating anarchy in the country.
“For the
record, the EFCC never went to the house of the CJN for arrest neither was
invitation extended to him.”
The body
stressed that, “Several calls and short messages received all point to the fact
that the brains behind the fake news had one thing in mind, to act as agents of
destabilisation. We would not give in to their plots.
“One of the
architects of the fake news, Femi Fani-Kayode, was quoted as saying, ‘Why have
the EFCC surrounded the home of CJN Onnoghen and why are they seeking to arrest
him? These people want Nigeria to burn! Buhari, call off your dogs before it is
too late! This is a democracy and not a gestapo state! In the name of God, let
this madness stop.’ Another arrowhead of the fake news, Yinka Odumakin, shared
a non-existent video, which has gone viral.
“We want to
assure Nigerians that, while we would fight corruption in line with the mandate
setting up the commission, agents of darkness, in the likes of Femi
Fani-Kayode, Yinka Odumakin and his cohorts, would never be able to manipulate
the people against the commission.
“We also
want to assure Fani-Kayode, Yinka Odumakin and other purveyors of the evil news
to be ready to defend their actions in the court of law as the EFCC will file
libel suit against them without further delay.
In his
reaction, Onnoghen has also debunked the report, saying that his house was not
raided by the EFCC.
Onnoghen,
who spoke through his senior special adviser on media, Mr. Awassam Bassey,
described the news as as false.
Comments
Post a Comment