The former first lady of the Nation, Patience Jonathan has made a daring move against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), by recovering her property, a hotel worth roughly N2bn from the commission.
Recall that sometime in June of this year, Mrs. Jonathan had had her hotel sealed off with inscriptions informing people that the place was under seal.
According to the Punch, the inscriptions by the EFCC have now been painted over with Grey paint. Upon inquiry, a Punch correspondent was told that the paint job was done on the instructions of Patience Jonathan and that if any more information was needed she should be contacted.
An EFCC source speaking to the Punch stated that Mrs. Jonathan was in the wrong for covering up the inscriptions with paint saying; “Sometimes when we are investigating some politically exposed persons, they immediately begin to sell off their buildings in order to cover their tracks and run away with the cash so that is why we put EFCC signs on the buildings so that innocent people will not buy those buildings.
“As it is, she has removed the inscriptions and can quickly sell it off.”
In his reaction to the incident, the lawyer for Patience Jonathan, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), said that he had no idea that the EFCC seized the property, but that nonetheless the agency has been sued for violating Mrs. Jonathan’s basic human rights.
“I am not aware of the seizure of property. If the EFCC seal was removed from the property, let them go and put another one. In any case, we have sued the EFCC for abuse of her human rights and human dignity. The matter is pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja and everything has been included in that suit.” He said
“We are challenging all the seizures because without prejudice to our case, Mrs. Jonathan was neither a public officer nor a contractor. So, the idea of harassing her beats my imagination.”
He added “I don’t see the basis for the EFCC’s harassment of that woman and the case wears a political toga because she was a formidable element during the campaign.”