Patience Jonathan, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan stirred scores of people today to stage a demonstration at the Port Harcourt office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to demand the unfreezing of her dollar accounts.
The group of placard-carrying protesters under the aegis of “Coalition of Civil Rights Organisations, Concerned Youths and the Ijaw Nation Worldwide,” were led by Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, a self acclaimed ambassador. Their demonstration was peaceful.
Some of the placards they carried read: “Patience is Innocent”, “How Many First Ladies have Been Tried in Nigeria,” “Mrs Patience Jonathan Deserves Respect, Stop Embarrassing Her,” “EFCC Stop Victimizing Niger Delta People,” “EFCC How many corrupt Nigerians have been prosecuted and jailed.”
Sukubo also submitted a letter of protest.
He said they were in the Commission to express their unhappiness and what he called the ill-treatment of the former first Lady.
“We, as coalition of Niger Delta Civil Rights Organisation, Concerned youths and Ijaw Nation World Wide, hereby, demand that the EFCC should stay off Mrs. Patience Goodluck Jonathan, as there is no established legal or political precedent for what EFCC is currently doing to Mrs Patience Jonathan.”
Mrs Jonathan herself has sought legal help to unfreeze her personal accounts and four others owned by companies she controlled by proxy. In all the accounts was found about $31.4 million in which were found.
Mrs. Jonathan recently instituted an action against the EFCC claiming that the money placed on “Post-No-Debit category” in the accounts of four companies currently being prosecuted on money laundering charge by the Commission, belong to her.
South South Zonal head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ishaq Salilu, told the crowd that, the EFCC is a law abiding agency which discharges it duties without fear or favour.
He told the protesters that the EFCC as a creation of law discharges its responsibilities within the ambits of the law. “EFCC is a law abiding organization which discharges its duties not minding whose ox is gored. We do not shy away from our responsibilities.
“Where there is a case, we pursue it to logical conclusion, if there is no case, there is none, we move to other things. The motto of the Commission is “Nobody is Above the Law,” he said.
Ishaq commended the protesters for the peaceful manner they conducted themselves and assured them that their letter will get to the appropriate authorities.
– NAN
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