An Akure-based lawyer and right activists, Morakinyo Ogele, has demanded a public apology and the sum of N1 billion compensation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for invading the premises of The Sun newspaper
Barrister Ogele accused the anti graft agency of disrupting the daily activity of the newspaper company, and subjecting its staff to physiological trauma and molestation.
The lawyer, who spoke with news men today, Wednesday, in Akure, the Ondo State capital, threatened to take legal action against EFCC if it failed to hearken to his call.
Ogele described the action of the EFCC as barbaric.
“Seven days ultimatum is hereby issued to EFCC to tender unreserved apology to Sun and compensate the paper with N1billion.
“Otherwise, I may be forced to restrain EFCC from carrying out activities not known to law,” the lawyer threatened.
He said that the raid on the media outfit had now become a stock in trade of the commission and described the action as uncivilized and unconstitutional.
“It is designed to gag, molest and harass the press. The excuse offered to the public by the EFCC cannot be accepted, as the matter is still pending in the competent court of law”, he declared.
Ogele said the action of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had already violated section 39 (1) of 1999 constitution of Nigeria as amended.
He said that the anti graft agency carried out its statutory functions outside the organic law by such unlawful act.
The lawyer charged the Nigerian masses who believed in the freedom of the press to condemn the invasion of the Sun Newspaper premises.
Ogele sympathized with the media outfit for the damages and embarrassment and insisted that its management must drag the EFCC to court.
He, however, asked the acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, to respect the rule of law and desist from the “rule of force and crudity.”
The operatives of the EFCC had, in the early hours of Monday, invaded the Lagos head office of the Sun Newspaper to ascertain the state of the assets of the publishing company which has been a subject of a subsisting interim forfeiture order.
Prior to the invasion, the anti graft agency had written to the authorities of the media outfit to account for its management of the assets for the period of the subsisting court order. [myad]
