Shehu Sani: HURIWA Carpets EFCC over Lawless Media Propaganda

Shehu Sani: HURIWA Carpets EFCC over Lawless Media Propaganda

The foremost civil Rights advocacy group- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to stop forthwith the insidious and toxic media PROPAGANDA and campaign of calumny/character assassination against the character of the Kaduna born human rights activist and immediate past Senator that represented Kaduna Central Senatorial Senator SHEHU SANI and release him forthwith. HURIWA said the tactics of EFCC in waging lawless media PROPAGANDA against SHEHU SANI to satisfy some powerful forces in the Presidential palace and try to destroy the public reputation of the fiery civil Rights campaigner SHEHU SANI by hook or by crook will adversely diminish constitutional democracy and the international image of Nigeria as a nation whereby BRUTE FORCE AND FALSEHOOD are employed to weaken political opposition to the central government just as the Rights group said these tactics of EFCC are same as what Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini adopted in his FASCISM ideology in the post World war Italyian near self -destructive politics.

HURIWA said the arbitrary detention for nearly a Month of SHEHU SANI following allegations of namesdropping and fraud based on the account of one man Alhaji Sani Dauda of ASD motors Kaduna and the ceaseless bombardment through the media of mass communication by the official and non-official channels of the EFCC aimed at forcing a predetermined outcome in the event that the matter between Senator SHEHU SANI and Alhaji Sani Dauda is charged to the Competent Court of law goes to show that the ANTI-GRAFT agency may be truly on a voyage of political witch hunt against the fervent critic of President Muhammadu Buhari. “These atrocious misuse of state powers by EFCC must be resisted by right minded abd right thinking citizens. We must reject FASCISM and All underground attempts to destroy constitutional democracy. We have a choice between speaking out to power to correct the anomalies of holders of temporary political power or remain silent and become slaves in perpetuity”.

HURIWA lamented that at a time that most Nigerians are even losing confidence in the institutions of anti-graft campaigns due to political manipulations by the Presidency as instruments of political vendetta against credible political adversaries of President Muhammadu Buhari,it is rather unfortunate and a burden on the soul of the hierarchy of the anti-corruption institutions to steer the anti-corruption crusades away from the notoriety of being only the instruments of attacks targeting only political opponents of All Progressives Congress BUHARI just as the Rights group said the citizens of Nigeria who are the real victims of the gargantuan and monumental upsurge in massive heist of public fund by current political office holders of all political persuasions are of the opinion that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Allied offences commission should go after these giant killers of Nigeria’s economy in government offices and avoid the unnecessary distractions of going after persons considered as credible opposition voices such as Senator SHEHU SANI.

HURIWA CONDEMNS the latest round of media propaganda against Senator SHEHU SANI in which the EFCC attempted to hoodwink the undiscerning members of the public that Senator SHEHU SANI was guilty as alleged by just one man named Alhaji Sani Dauda based on hearsay evidence even before any form of evidence generated by the anti-corruption agency is tested by the Court yet against all legal and ethical conventions the EFCC has already conjured HASTY audio-generated evidence which it has already planted in the media to try to compel the Court of competent jurisdiction to fall under the paperweight of the jaundiced pieces of tissues of media propaganda to reach a predetermined conclusion against SENATOR SHEHU SANI. “It is our considered position as patriots that this Nigerian Citizen Senator SHEHU SANI be freed immediately and if the EFCC has good enough evidence to charge him to court let it do so immediately. The EFCC is testing the might of the organised civil Rights bodies in Nigeria to pour out on the streets and demonstrate against this harassment and arbitrary arrests and illegal detention of respected Senior citizen who almost lost his precious life fighting for democracy. How is EFCC trying by all means to reduce him SHEHU SANI to a mere petty criminal based only on hearsay evidence of one man who is reportedly uneducated and allegedly can not even on his own write down his statements without being dictated to. The EFCC should take the matter to court or free Senator SHEHU SANI with heavy financial compensation for the wanton breach of his fundamental rights to freedom from arbitrary arrests and illegal detention”.

HURIWA is aware of the robust denial to the media propaganda against Senator SHEHU SANI by EFCC. The Senator has already itemised what he calls FACTS ABOUT THE AUDIO TAPE ASD/EFCC CONFRONTED SHEHU SANI WITH and stated as follows in a communication already in the media space: 1. The audio was in Hausa language.

2. The audio was cut and join conversation to malign the senator.

3. There was nowhere the audio indicated that Senator Shehu Sani was given money.

4. The $25,000 in the tape was the amount of money Senator Shehu Sani paid for a Peugeot 508 of which profoma invoice was given as evidence to the EFCC

5. The tape borders on Shehu Sani;

– Calling on ASD to support his political ambition

– Telling the audience the political persecution he was facing under Elrufai

– How hired assassins were sent after Shehu Sani

– How Shehu Sani intends to go for medical surgery in Germany

– Shehu Sani wooing ASD to abandon his other political choices and support Shehu Sani

– In the audio, it was Shehu Sani who was making statement to give ASD money to purchase a car at his shop and was never for bribe

6. The audio was a disjointed piece of manipulated voices composed and arrainged to achieve their desired goals.

7. Almost 70% of the content of the audio has been tampered with and nowhere in the audio it was proved that Shehu Sani was given money to bribe the CJN or EFCC officials

8. We shall release our full version of all the conversation when the matter goes to court.

9. The EFCC/accuser audio is a duet of misleading and misinforming rhythm and conversation

10. We reject the EFCC Hausa recording studio work of fiction.

HURIWA is deeply worried that the EFCC is reducing Nigeria to a Banana republic by the show of crudity and primitive exercise of arbitrary powers against Senator SHEHU SANI only because he constantly criticises President Muhammadu Buhari for his failings in office since the last five years.

Emmanuel Onwubiko
National Cordinator