An Akure-based lawyer and right activists, Morakinyo Ogele, has issued a seven day ultimatum to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to tender a public apology to the management of the Sun Newspaper for invading its premises.
Barrister Ogele said the anti graft agency should also be prepared to compensate the media Organisation with N1billion, for disrupting its daily activity and subjecting its staff to physiological trauma and molestation.
The operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (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.
Recall that 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.
Ogele who spoke with reporters on Wednesday, in Akure, the Ondo State capital, threatened to take legal action against EFCC if it failed to hearken to his call.
Ogele flayed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for its invasion into the premises of the Sun Newspaper and described the action 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 added 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.”
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