SHOCKING CONFESSION:
‘EFCC Officials Torturing Me to Implicate Former President Jonathan or Die in Prison’-Azibaola Robert, Cousin to GEJ
…Denied Access to Family, Lawyer, Medical Care from March 23 to April 4, 2016
*Lament: “My Arrest is a Witch-Hunt, Business Contract was Transparent”
*Says: “Let Anti-graft Agency Charge Me to Court or Release Me Unconditionally”
*Regrets: “EFCC Tells Me I Will Rot in Prison except I Indict ex-President Jonathan to be Free”
*“ Condition Set for My Detained Brother’s Unconditional Release is to Lie that our Cousin (Jonathan) Benefited from Security Contract”-Faith Robert, Brother of Suspect
*PLUS Sambo Dasuki, ex-NSA Connection
BY BOYE ODUNLAMI/DEPUTY EDITOR, CRIME & INVESTIGATION, ABUJA
IN Nigeria presently, there may be clandestine moves being made by the incumbent administration of President Muhmmadu Buhari in his on-going fight against corruption to ‘nail’ his immediate predecessor, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) as the first cousin to the erstwhile president, Azibaola Robert under probes over an alleged diversion of $40 million dollars through One-Plus Holdings and a sister company, Kakatar Construction Limited has cried out for help stating that his arrest, torture, dehumanization is a witch-hunt determined to implicate GEJ.
Azibaola says he is under a serious pressure daily by the operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to implicate former president Jonathan. As such, Azibaola Robert wants the EFCC to charge him to court or release him unconditionally.
The cousin of the former president Goodluck Jonathan, Azibaola Robert claimed that the operatives of EFCC are pressuring on him to indict Jonathan. Azibaola, who is currently in the underground custody of the anti-graft agency, supposed that EFCC told him in clear terms to “say something to implicate” his cousin, Jonathan or rot in prison. The investigation is a part of a case of the former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki.
Faith, the brother of the suspect, alleged that the agency, on several occasions, told them to urge their brother to collaborate with them, by indicting former president in his statement as a beneficiary of the security contracts. He said: “They want our detained brother to indict our cousin as a bargain for his unconditional release. For your information, Azibaola was taken into custody on March 23 when he went to honour EFCC’s invitation. From March 23 to April 4, my brother was denied access to his family, lawyer and medical care. Afterwards, a magistrate court order was given for another 14 days, which stretched his detention to 27 days. “
However, Azibaola’s lawyer managed to file a suit for the enforcement of his right and asked for bail which the Federal High Court in Abuja granted him pending his arraignment or completion of the said investigation. “Rather than obey the court order, EFCC brought our brother to Lagos again, to get another remand warrant which is contrary to law and constitution of the country,” said Faith in an emotion laden voice.
The anti-graft commission arrested Azibaola, who is the managing director of Katakar Civil Engineering Company as well as One Plus Holdings Ltd., on March 23 in connection with a $40 million pipelines protection contract awarded to his firm by the office of the national security adviser.
