The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said that it did not invite Justice Folahanmi Oloyede of the Osun State Judiciary, who accused Governor Rauf Aregbesola of graft, for interrogation.
The commission said that the judge was requested to adopt the petition she wrote against the governor in line with its standard procedure.
The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said in a telephone conversation with our correspondent that Justice Oloyede was only asked to come to the Head Office of the EFCC to make clarifications on the petition she wrote against the Osun State Governor.
Uwujaren said that it was the standard practice of the EFCC to invite petitioners for necessary clarifications before inviting those indicted in petitions.
He stated that what was required was for her to adopt the petition she wrote, stressing that the impression that she was being invited by the commission was not true.
Uwujaren said that the judge, in her response, declined the request and asked to be interviewed in Osun State.
He said, “There is nothing like invitation; the impression being created that she was being invited while the person she wrote about had not been invited is not right.
“She wrote a petition and she was asked to come to make clarification on the petition in line with our standard procedure; to come and adopt her petition. There is nothing to it.”
The judge had written a petition on June 9, 2015 to the Osun State House of Assembly — a copy of which was sent to the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission — in which she accused Aregbesola of corruption and asked for impeachment proceedings to be commenced against him.
The judge had faulted Aregbesola’s claim that his administration received N204bn from the Federation Account and Internally Generated Revenue by the end of 2014.
She declared in the said petition that Aregbesola received N538bn on behalf of the state and Osun Local Government Areas during the period.
She insisted that the N204bn figure quoted by the governor was a product of manipulation and corruption.
Meanwhile, the Osun State All Progressives Congress said it would be futile for any group or persons to attempt using the safety of Justice Folahanmi Oloyede as a strategy to throw the state into chaos.
The APC disclosed that from the first day that the government became aware of her petition against the governor, special security arrangements were provided to prevent anything untoward happening to her.
The party said continual media campaigns alleging danger or insecurity to the life of Justice Oloyede was a mere campaign only sustained to blackmail the state and the government of Aregbesola.
The party, through a statement by its state Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, said, “Unknown to the sponsors of this wicked campaigns of calumny, right from day one that Justice Folahanmi Oloyede submitted her petition, the government had taken a proactive measure by alerting the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Adepele Ojo, and security agencies including the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services to provide adequate and enhanced security around the person and residence of Justice Folahanmi Oloyede.
“Justice Oloyede herself cannot deny the fact of this enhanced security around her person and residence up till now.”
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