The Southern Nigeria Peoples Mandate (SNPM), a civil society organisation, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to obey court order and release Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia from its detention.
The president of the organisation, Mr Augustine Chukwudum, made the call in a statement issued in Enugu on Wednesday.
Chukwudum noted that it was wrong and against the principles of Rule of Law for the commission to re-arrest Ofili-Ajumogobia at the courtroom, after she had been discharged by a court in Lagos on Tuesday.
“What happened yesterday is pure genocide against the Rule of Law.
“We are calling on every Nigerian to rise up and condemn the action of EFCC, because if we keep quiet as it is with Nigerian culture then something worse than this will happen.
“A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a law court, the woman is not guilty and was discharged acquitted by the court because the EFCC failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“The court has not found her guilty and discharged her, but our question now is why must government agency disobey court order?’’ he asked.
“We hereby calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to call agencies of government like EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, police and army to obey court orders because we are in democracy and not military dictatorship.
“No government or agency has right to chose the laws it will obey and the ones it will not obey,’’ he said.
Chukwudum noted that the judiciary must be respected and protected as enshrined in the Constitution.
“We, hereby, call on EFCC to release Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia with immediate effect and enough of this impunity,’’ the SNPM boss said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ofili-Ajumogobia, a former Federal High Court judge, was re-arrested at premises of a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, Lagos State on Tuesday.
The re-arrest happened after charges against her were struck out by the court.
She was arrested by officials of the commission and driven away in a white Toyota Hilux with Abuja number plate BWR 637AT.
