Lawyer to the former Secretary to the government of the Federation, Mr Pius Anyim, Mr Mike Ozekhome has insisted that Anyim is still in custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and he is being kept in ‘inhuman and degrading condition.’
Ozekhome described earlier reports by the EFCC that Anyim has been released as misleading. He said in spite of fulfilling all administrative bail conditions, Anyim is still been kept in the custody of the anti-graft agency.
The EFCC had earlier obtained a court warrant to keep Anyim in its custody. He was arrested for allegedly collecting the sum of N520 million from a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki. Less than two days after his arrest, reports indicated that the EFCC released Anyim and instructed that he should report to the commission every two weeks after meeting his bail conditions.
Ozekhome in the statement on Friday, however, insists that Anyim is still in custody despite depositing his international passport.
“The truth is that Anyim is still held in EFCC custody till minute, inspite of fulfilling all administrative bail conditions laid out for him, including deposit of his international passport and being compelled, under duress and undue influence, to sign all manners of self-incriminating and property-stripping documents against his will.”
He also accused the EFCC of keeping his client under inhuman and degrading conditions for what he described as an unconstitutional length of time.
“Inspite of these and the clear provisions of section 35 and 36 of the Nigerian constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), the EFCC has bluntly refused to release Anyim to go and attend to his very poor health over which he was receiving treatment before he was forcibly taken away from his home.”
Ozekhome, therefore, asked the Attorney General of the Federation to prevail on the EFCC to respect the rule of law and the constitution by releasing Mr Anyim.