Scores of protesters on Monday stormed the Port-Harcourt office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in Port Harcourt over the arrest of Mr George Turnah.
Turnah, was a former Special Adviser to erstwhile Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Dan Abia.
He was recently arrested by the anti-graft agency in Port-Harcourt, Rivers, for allegedly stealing N2 billion from the coffers of the NDDC.
Spokesman of the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement on Monday night that the protesters were mostly youths under the aegis of Egbeyin Congress and Ogbia Brotherhood Council.
Led by one Mr Dan Igbe, the youths reportedly said they were protesting in support of Turnah, who they alleged was being humiliated by the EFCC.
“We will not allow George Turnah to be killed like the former CSO (Chief Security Officer) to former President Goodluck Jonathan,” Uwujaren quoted Igbe as saying.
He also said his group would never again allow its leaders to be humiliated by the EFCC, describing the commission’s anti-corruption war as one-sided because it was only targeting Niger Delta leaders “.
According to the EFCC spokesman, Mr Nathaniel Goodnews, who heads the Ogbia Brotherhood Council, stated that Turnah was their hope and that the agency should let him go.
Responding, the South-South Zonal Head of the EFCC, Mr Ishaq Salihu, reportedly appealed to the protesters not to take the law into their hands,
Salihu told them to allow justice to take its course in the investigation and imminent prosecution of Turnah.
He said that the EFCC was a law-abiding agency and impartial in its investigation.
“There is nothing political about the case of George Turnah or any other case we are doing here.
“We cannot be stampeded, rushed, intimidated to arrive at an unjust course. Justice should be allowed to run its course.
“We will continue to do our job without fear or favour, affection or ill will and the comission will not leave any stone unturned in doing its job”, he said, according to Uwujaren.(NAN)
