Ex-Minister’s aide decries sealing of Sylva’s Abuja home by EFCC
Ex-Minister’s aide decries sealing of Sylva’s Abuja home by EFCC
P/Harcourt—The Speciãl Assistant on Media and Public Affãirs to Timipre Sylva, Julius Bokoru, has condemned the sealing of the former minister’s Maitama home in Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Bokoru in a statement, yesterday, said the action was undertaken “without a single letter, without a subpoena, without a warrant, without notification, and without even the most basic adherence to lawful process.” The aide said: “No courtesy. No procedure. No humanity. It is behaviour unbecoming of any institution that claims to act in the national interest. What unfolded today at the Maitama residence of Chief Sylva, was nothing short of an affront to decency and a troubling assault on the very principles that underpin a civilised society.
“Officers of the EFCC attempted yet another aggressive intrusion into his home and proceeded to spray-paint his walls in stark red, emblazoning the words “EFCC — Keep Off” as though marking the property of a fugitive rather than the home of a respected statesman.
“What deepens the wound is that this is not merely a property, it is the home in which Sylva’s children, relatives, and staff have been effectively encircled for weeks.
“It is the last space available to them, especially now that it appears they are not permitted to leave the country freely. To violate such a place,without warning, without justification,is to inflict terror upon innocent people who have no connection whatsoever to political gamesmanship.
“Where, one must ask, are his children expected to go? How long must they endure this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty?”
Bokoru lamented that the action, which he described as arbitrary and vindictive, was a violation of democratic principles and its values, insisting that it was not how an institution established to uphold justice should behave.
“We remain firmly convinced that President Bola Tinubu is not involved in these excesses. Throughout his long and distinguished public life, the President has shown unwavering respect for due process, fairness, and institutional integrity.
“This latest incident bears all the hallmarks of local political rivalry being misinterpreted, or mischievously presented, as federal instruction. It is a dangerous muddling of partisan ambition with national authority.
“Government agencies and parastatals must never allow themselves to become weapons in political contests. To do so weakens not only the institutions themselves but the very fabric of our democracy.
