Don urges EFCC to be humane in its operations

Dr. Philips Nto, a university Don,  has urged the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr Ola Olukayode  to call his officers to order, so as not to tarnish his personal image and that of the organisation.

Nto also called on the Attorney General of the federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi to send for his file and find out what offence he commited that would justify his continued harassment by the agency without being taken to court.

Dr Nto was reacting to an invitation sent to him through a text message by the  EFCC, which  gave him less than a day to report to their Headquarters at Abuja to, according to their message, ” clear grey areas”.

He frowned at the current situation the  EFCC  keeps  inviting him to Abuja toward the end of every year in the past nine years.

According to Nto, who was the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development in Abia state from 2013 to 2015, “the  chairman, as a lawyer,  should instill   discipline in his men and encourage them to stick to the rule of law in the execution of their lawful duties. The current military approach  while  executing their duties is antithetical to democratic ethos”

Nto , who is presently is a lecturer at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umuadike, decried what he called “frequent harassment by the EFCC for a case that has lasted for nine years”.

He, therefore, asked the Commission to charge him to court if it has sufficient evidence to do so, rather than the current situation they keep inviting him to Abuja towards  the end of the year for the past nine years.

He noted that even when he requested that he should be given sometime to prepare himself for the invitation,  the  EFCC officer ignored his request  but , instead, threatened him with an arrest.

Wondering why a case under investigation cannot be concluded   within  nine years ,  Nto said he was ready to defend himself in court over his services to the nation as a public officer between 2013 and 2015.

He, therefore, appealed to the EFCC to refrain from threatening his life since he had consistently obeyed and complied with their invitations in  the past nine years.

His words:” I am a lecturer at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.  My house is not hidden.  I had always responded to their(EFCC) invitation, so I don’t see the urgency in giving me less than  24 hours  to travel to Abuja from Umuahia. In the alternative,  I had  requested that the EFCC officials should give me one week to report to their Enugu office”.

The Don  expressed worry why the  EFCC should devise a pattern of   inviting  him whenever Christmas period is approaching,  saying that it is suspicious.