By Tayo Alabi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been urged to resist political manipulation while carrying out its operations.
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar gave the admonition.
Atiku was reacting to the acquittal of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Raymond Dokpesi, by the Federal Court of Appeal in Abuja.
Recall, Dokpesi was prosecuted by the EFCC in connection with the alleged ₦ 2.1 billion money laundering charges brought against him over the arms contracts under former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
The court, however, quashed the charges on Thursday in a unanimous judgment of a three-man panel of judges led by Justice Williams-Daudu.
But Atiku in a statement he personally signed on Friday expressed his joy and solidarity over the incident, saying he was elated with the outcome of the trial.
The ex-Vice President said the court judgement “revealed the truth about the lopsided nature of the anti-corruption policy of the Buhari administration.”
According to him, “the entire anti-corruption trials appear to be focused on opposition politicians, thereby casting doubts on the credibility of the anti-graft agency.”
While noting that he was impressed with the appointment of Abdul Rasheed Bawa as EFCC chairman, Atiku asked him to learn from the mistakes of his predecessors.
“As a young man of great intellect and confidence, I’m confident that you are up to the task. You must be ready to restore the glory of the EFCC by changing its public perception as a political tool of the government in power,” he stated.
