Scores of youths from Kogi, on Wednesday, trooped out in Abuja to ventilate their disappointment with the handling of the allegations of corruption preferred against ex-Governor Yahaya Bello by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The youths, under the auspices of Kogi Independent Youths Association (KIYA), in a May Day Solidarity Walk for Nigerian Children, decried what they called, “the systemic violation of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the former governor’s children.”
The President of KIYA, Comrade Mohammed Abdulrazak, expressed concern that despite the fact that the children had nothing to do with whatever the commission was investigating their parents for, they had become a subject of discourse in the alleged corruption case.
Abdulrazak stressed that though the group did not support corruption in any manner, “what we are against is not following due processes to carry out law enforcement duties, especially when you begin to drag in innocent children into the fray.
“This can damage them psychologically for life.
“Children don’t play politics. Children can’t be punished for the sins of their parents even when such has been proven.
“Nobody deserves to be punished for a crime they know nothing about, not to talk of innocent children.”
According to him, today’s rally is the first in the series of actions we have laid out until justice is done in this matter.
The youth president, who condemned EFCC’s action, said the anti-graft agency would be dragged before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to seek redress.
“All these concerns will be presented to the National Human Rights Commission any moment from now for appropriate intervention especially to protect the rights of the innocent children who have been dragged into this political war by the EFCC,” he said
He said “as educated youths who are versed in the practice and procedures concerning the arrest, arraignment and prosecution of an accused person, the due process of the law is sacrosanct and must be duly adhered to and complied with.
“Former Governor Yahaya Bello has not been shown any fairness, which is a cardinal principle of law.
“He has not been served with the notice of charges against him, or arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction by the EFCC, but he has already been arraigned, tried, and convicted by the EFCC going by their utterances in the media and unnecessary display of executive drama.”
Abdulrazak pointed out that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) guarantees the innocence of an accused person until otherwise proven.
He, however, said the EFCC, in the pursuit of its alleged persecution of Bello, had thrown all caution to the wind and turned his botched arrest into a television and social media soap opera.
“This is being done to demonise him,” he said.
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