Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticized the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for what he describes as “a well-worn pattern of lawlessness” following the reported arrest and incommunicado detention of former federal lawmaker, Hon. Muhammad Kazaure.
In a statement on his X account on Saturday, Atiku accused the EFCC of once again trampling on the fundamental rights of citizens by detaining Kazaure without explanation or due process.
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He likened the situation to the recent controversial arrest of online personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, whose release was only secured after massive public pressure.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has once again plunged headlong into its well-worn pattern of lawlessness, arresting and detaining citizens with brazen disregard for due process and without offering any justification for its actions,” Atiku said.
According to the former Vice President, Hon. Kazaure, a known critic of the Tinubu administration and a former representative of Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa, and Yankwashi federal constituency, was “abducted in Kano and whisked away to Abuja” by operatives of the EFCC.
He is allegedly being held without charges, with no access to his family or legal representation.
“Let it be stated without equivocation: even if there were legitimate grounds for arresting any citizen, such action must adhere strictly to the rule of law. The EFCC is duty-bound to publicly disclose the reasons for any arrest and must not detain individuals indefinitely under the guise of investigation,” Atiku emphasized.
“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is unequivocal on this matter—every detainee must be promptly charged to court or released.”
He further stated that the agency’s continued silence on Kazaure’s whereabouts and legal status “lays bare the agency’s contempt for transparency and justice.”
“This government’s hypocrisy is as staggering as it is shameless: while it strikes cosy deals with politically connected figures tainted by corruption, it unleashes the machinery of the state to harass and silence its critics,” Atiku added.
He warned that the Nigerian people are watching the unfolding events and that history will not be kind to those who continue to abuse state power for political ends. “The EFCC is entrenching itself deeper into the mire of impunity and constitutional delinquency,” he said.
“We are left with no choice but to conclude that Kazaure’s ordeal is a direct consequence of his fearless and unrelenting criticism of this administration.”
 for what he describes as “a well-worn pattern of lawlessness” following the reported arrest and incommunicado detention of former federal lawmaker, Hon. Muhammad Kazaure.){kind=link}