Odinkalu wrote: “That the EFCC is so devoid of a sense of priorities that they consider themselves useful only as a tool for persecution of people on the margins of society or that they are so idle they consider my opinion deserving of their entire Friday (or both) should bother all responsible citizens… It is just so tragically unfortunate that they consider it their statutory duty at the EFCC to be fiddling while the country burns. If that is not idle abuse of power, I don’t know what is.”
By Emma Ogbuehi
Rather than being cowed by the threat of litigation made by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against him, the former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chidi Odinkalu, a Professor in Human Rights Law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, has doubled down on his criticism of the anti-graft agency.
Odinkalu, a human rights activist and columnist with TheNiche newspaper, accused the EFCC of fiddling while the country burns, an action he considers “tragically unfortunate.”
The spat started on Thursday when the EFCC, in a statement posted on its official Instagram page, disclosed that its operatives had commenced an investigation of Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, for abuse of Naira notes.
According to the statement, the EFCC had invited the 31-year-old crossdresser following a video report of spraying and flaunting wads of new Naira notes at the ‘Ajakaju’ movie premiere, produced by Nollywood actress, Eniola Ajao, at Film One Circle Mall, Lekki, Lagos on March 24, 2024.
He was subsequently arrested at Pinnock Estate in Lagos State on Wednesday, April 3, and detained at the Lagos command office of the EFCC.
An obviously irked Odinkalu described the arrest as an abuse of power and proof that officials of the Commission are idle.
In a post via X, Odinkalu said the power of arrest and prosecution is a public trust that should not be weaponized to prosecute those they don’t like.
He wrote, “The @officialEFCC shd be ashamed of themselves. The power of arrest & prosecution is a public trust that shd not be weaponized for the persecution of those whom they don’t like. It is either @officialEFCC is evidently idle or this is clear #AbuseOfPower.
“Ystday, @NigeriaGov & @NERCNG hiked energy beyond the reach of most #Nigerians. Today, @officialEFCC orchestrates a lynching of #Bobrisky.
READ ALSO: Bobrisky may spend 6 months in jail after conviction
“Ppl who can no longer afford electricity are hailing them because, apparently Bobby is responsible for their poverty. Bobrisky is responsible for rigging ur elections; corrupting ur courts; looting ur Treasury; sending the Naira sky-high; recruiting & paying #BokoHaram & the bandits. He must be the problem with #Nigeria.”
Reacting, EFCC threatened to sue Odinkalu, calling his intervention “reckless” and “unbecoming of a former head of a major government agency.”
A statement by Dele Oyewale, Head, Media & Publicity, titled “Chidi Odinkalu’s reckless commentaries on EFCC,” threatened that “the Commission would not hesitate to take appropriate legal actions.”
The statement read: “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to some reckless commentaries made by a former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu on the arrest of Idris Okuneye (a.k.a Bobrisky) by the Commission, describing it as evidence of idleness or an abuse of power.
“The Commission views such commentaries from Odinkalu as unbecoming of a former head of a major government agency. Okuneye was arrested and arraigned by the Commission on the basis of clear cases of abuse of the Naira to which he has pleaded guilty.
“Odinkalu has a right to free speech as a Nigerian but such a right should be exercised with decorum and responsibility. The Commission would not hesitate to take appropriate legal actions against such uncouth commentaries against its lawful mandate by anyone.
“Odinkalu is warned and advised to ventilate his rascally opinions more responsibly in future situations.”
But an obviously unfazed Odinkalu doubled down on his claim in another tweet: “I said the @officialEFCC were shameless, idle & involved in manifest #AbuseOfPower. They promptly prove me right!”
Responding to enquiries from TheNiche in the early hours of Saturday, the human rights activist said the EFCC was devoid of any sense of priorities.
Odinkalu wrote: “What am I supposed to say? Whatever it is, I am flattered to the point of loss of SoH. I consider this lot there undeserving of any adjectives or multiple syllables from me. So, I will not be retaliating in kind to their doubling down on manifest preoccupation with abuse of power.
“That the EFCC is so devoid of a sense of priorities that they consider themselves useful only as a tool for persecution of people on the margins of society or that they are so idle they consider my opinion deserving of their entire Friday (or both) should bother all responsible citizens.
“It is interesting that the EFCC abandoned the only charges that could remotely have implicated their raison d’être, which supports the idea that this is idle abuse of power.
“It is just so tragically unfortunate that they consider it their statutory duty at the EFCC to be fiddling while the country burns. If that is not idle abuse of power, I don’t know what is.”
