Death in EFCC custody : HURIWA condemns lackadaisical attitude to investigation

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has in strong terms condemned the death of Desmond Nunugwo, in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), six hours after he was manhandled and arrested in the office of his lawyer, over an alleged petition bothering on his involvement in a business deal.

The National Coordinator HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko expressed shock “at the primitive act of brutality, at this present democratic dispensation”, which he said, should have necessitated a protest against the excesses of the affected government agency.

The deceased was said to have died in the custody of the EFCC on June 9, 2016, having being arrested at the office of his former lawyer, sequel to a petition written by one Uloma, his business associate with whom he did a N91million transaction with, even though it was discovered that the deceased did not receive any money from the transaction.

However, Onwubiko, three months after the death of Nunugwo, who was until his death, Chief Protocol Officer in the office of the Minister of state for Defence berated the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) for failing to constitute an investigative panel to the circumstances leading to his death.

“This is not the first time a person had died in the EFCC detention. It is unlawful for a Nigerian to be tortured in that form, even during arrest or detention. We are campaigning for a legislation that would mandate any government agency with detention facilities to make it open and accessible to relevant organisations. It is unlawful, primitive, criminal and undemocratic”, he said.

Clement Chukwuemeka, of the Democrats Solicitors while eulogising the late civil servant, condemned the illegal and unconstitutional killing of Nunugwo, calling on the relevant authorities to do the needful.

Similarly, Paul Edeh of Raw Gold Partners, while eulogising the AGF for asking the Department of State Service (DSS) to take over investigations, however, emphatically called for the constitution of an independent and transparent investigative team.

According to him, the person who wrote the petition against the deceased is said to be a woman, named Uloma, based on what EFCC claims, but they gathered that it was one Ole, who is a friend to the deceased that was involved in the transaction, contrary to claims by EFCC.

The wife of the deceased who was visibly traumatised called on the said petitioner to come out and tell the world what transpired between her and her late husband, according to what she gathered, the late husband was just an intermediary in the transaction.

 

SEYI ANJORIN