The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release Senator Shehu Sani from detention.
In a statement by Yinka Olomojobi, the SERAP accused the EFCC of violating both the national and international law for detaining the senator.
The statement read: “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should immediately release activist, Senator Shehu Sani detained on allegations of extortion or charge him with a recognizable criminal offence.
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“By prolonging his detention without charge or trial, Mr Sani is being treated like a convicted criminal, in violation of national and international law.
“The continued detention of Mr Sani without charge is against the principle of being innocent until proven guilty.
“The right to personal liberty is one of the most central human rights as it is connected to the essential rudiments of an individual’s physical freedom.
“The right to liberty requires that the arrest or detention of an individual must be in accordance to the law. The right therefore, protects the individual against the excesses of the government and its agents.
“The right to personal liberty is essentially a personal freedom in which no government can abridge.
“This right is juxtaposed with other human rights and can be formally traced back to the English Magna Carta of 1215.”
Earlier, The Herald reported that the EFCC continued its investigation into alleged extortion against Senator Shehu Sani by searching his two Abuja homes on Wednesday.
Recall that Kaduna businessman and Chairman of ASD Motors, Alhaji Sani Dauda accused the senator, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate, of extorting $24,ooo from him. The senator was arrested on December 31, 2019 over the allegation.
Sani vehemently denied the allegations, saying that the only transaction he had with ASD Motors was car purchase.