Reps Member Decries Persecution Of Fani-Kayode

Executive Chairman, House Committee on Human Rights, Rotimi Makinde representing Ife Central Constituency in the House of Representatives, has condemned the persecution of former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode in the guise of prosecution.

In a press release, he said the case has lingered on for  five years.

He said at a time, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, accused Fani-Kayode of being involved in the diversion of N19b Aviation Intervention Fund but that the charge was later dropped due to lack of evidence.

“The current charge concerns cash lodgments into his private bank account, between August 2006 and March 2007,” he added.

Makinde said he learnt that Fani-Kayode was first arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos on the same charge on 23 December, 2008, during the late Umaru Yar’Adua administration.

Thereafter, Rahman Muhammed, the trial judge was transferred out of Lagos. The case was re-assigned to Justice Binta Nyako last year before she was also transferred out of Lagos and now the case has been transferred to Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia.

However, he commended Ajimogobia for disqualifying the prosecutor, who he said did not have the authority to prosecute the case.

He said the judge should have taken the courage to strike out the case for lacking in merit but nevertheless, he believes Fani-Kayode will soon be exonerated.

Makinde then advised that “judicial recklessness must stop in the interest of our democracy. Government should stop its cruelty and its attempt to silence the opposition, especially when its excesses and incompetence are exposed.”

He asserted that if truly the government has anything against Fani-Kayode, the case would have been laid to rest, adding that five years of persistent prosecution of a case that lacks merit is a shame on  the Nigerian government.

—Akin Kuponiyi