Coalition to EFCC: Ignore noise, pursue graft cases

 

A coalition of young Nigerians has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to remain resolute in its anti-graft mandate, warning that Nigeria’s future must not be sacrificed to what it described as “slush funds and manufactured narratives.”

The group spoke against the backdrop of allegations by some opposition figures that the anti-graft agency was being deployed by the Presidency to target non-members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)—claims the Presidency has dismissed as baseless and partisan.

Operating under the platform Coalition of Young Nigerians for the Soul of Our Future, the organisation accused corrupt politicians of manipulating media narratives to whip up public sympathy and frustrate lawful investigations.

In a statement signed by its coordinator, Kimberly Saviour Gift, the coalition said politically exposed persons often resort to emotional appeals, selective disclosures and distortion of facts when accountability beckons.

“This pattern is familiar and troubling,” the group said. “Public officials amass enormous financial war chests during or after their tenure. When scrutiny begins, they deploy narratives of persecution to weaken institutions, distract investigators and delay justice.”

The coalition stressed that EFCC’s administrative bail is discretionary and conditional, not a right, adding that failure to meet stipulated conditions invalidates any claim of bail revocation.

It listed the conditions to include provision of two serving Permanent Secretaries in Abuja as sureties, submission of verifiable official documents, proof of property ownership within Abuja Municipal Area Council, deposit of all international passports and regular reporting to the Commission.

According to the statement, in the case referenced, provisional administrative bail was granted after interrogation but the conditions acknowledged by the suspect were not met. It added that requests for adjournment on health grounds were nevertheless granted without medical reports, but meaningful cooperation did not follow.

Describing attempts to portray lawful investigative actions as political intimidation as “misleading and corrosive,” the coalition said such claims were particularly troubling when made by former chief law officers who fully understand the law.

The group warned against a growing tendency among some politicians to use philanthropy, empowerment programmes and aggressive media campaigns as shields against accountability.

“We urge the EFCC not to relent, not to be distracted and not to be intimidated,” it said. “Investigations must proceed on evidence and due process. Where facts support prosecution, consequences must follow.”

The coalition also called on the media and the public to exercise discernment, insisting that journalism must interrogate claims rather than amplify them uncritically.

“Nigeria’s future cannot be mortgaged to slush funds, warped narratives or institutional blackmail,” the statement added, urging the EFCC to “stay the course, follow the money and enforce the law.”