The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has faulted the interrogation of the Executive Director of Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) over a forgery petition.
The anti-corruption activist, Olanrewaju Suraju, was interrogated by police operatives after the Inspector General of Police (IGP) received the petition from former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Mohammed Adoke.
Suraju has been a leading voice in the quest to ensure accountability and justice for Nigeria with regard to the sale of the controversial OPL 124 oil block, also known as Malabu bribery scandal.
Adoke, who has been standing trial over the bribery scandal in Nigeria and Italy, had sent the petition to the IGP office demanding a probe of an email ‘evidence’ presented against him by prosecutors in Milan.
It was gathered that Adoke later complained to the police that some people, one of whom he suspected to be Suraju, circulated a fake tape purporting it to be that of an interview he had with an Italian journalist admitting that the Malabu transaction was a scam.
But the former minister denied granting such interview, arguing that a tape was concocted and circulated purporting him to have done so.
‘For us, the case is a clear example of powerful, influential and connected members of the society using institutions of the state to harass and oppress those who dare to question their actions’, Executive Director of CHRICED, Ibrahim Zikirullahi, said in a statement.
‘It is disconcerting that the Nigeria Police is already creating the impression that Suraju is guilty, even without any exhaustive investigation of the case’.
Suraju, who was released on bail on 15 April, reportedly said it was ‘corruption fighting back’.
‘This is a case of corruption fighting back, with Adoke using the police to harass, not just the civil society, but at the same time using illegal means to accuse myself and my organisation of forging a document that was admitted in court as evidence in Milan, of which we had no previous connection and business with’, Premium Times quoted him as saying.
CHRICED called on the police to tender unreserved apology to Suraju, and stop creating the impression that ‘Nigeria is a country where law enforcement institutions collude with the corrupt and powerful to suppress the voices of citizens who kick against their actions’.
The human rights organisation also said, ‘We call for the harassment and intimidation of Suraju to stop forthwith, as this is clearly a case of corruption fighting back.
‘CHRICED also calls on a broad spectrum of civil society groups to speak up to condemn the attempt to muzzle Suraju.
‘It is Olanrewaju Suraju being harassed today; it could be any other civil society leader tomorrow if everyone remains silent in the face of state-sanctioned tyranny and oppression’.
Adoke made the complaint after the Milan court accepted the ‘evidence’ sourced from U.S. banking giant JP Morgan as part of the Malabu OPL 245 corruption trial.
Regarded as one of Africa’s richest, the OPL 245 oil block was controversially awarded to Malabu in 1998 by the petroleum minister at the time, Dan Etete, without making due payments for it to the Nigerian government.
Source: CHRICED
Photo source: Olanrewaju Suraju
