The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have succumbed to pressures from agitating Nigerians to investigate the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, over perceived display of stupendous wealth popularly construed to have been acquired in alleged corrupt ways. The EFCC had shot itself on the foot when the commission celebrated seeming unlimited powers to investigate any Nigerian suspected to be living above his/her means of income.
The posting of the unlimited powers on twitter provoked confrontation of the commission by Segun Awosanya –a.k.a. Segalink – a social media activist, who accused EFCC of not investigating Tinubu the bullion vans that conveyed money to his residence in Lagos less than 24 hours to the 2019 presidential election.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also remarked: #our take: If Buhari EFCC refuses to investigate Tinubu, time does not run out on crime, one day he will be investigated and jailed#
Accordingly, Segalink had chided the EFCC for not probing the APC national leader, Tinubu, after visible picture of bullion vans conveying money to Tinubu’s Bourdillon residence in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Segalink had responded to EFCC tweet: “Section 7(1) of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004 gives us the power to investigate properties of any person if it appears to the commission that the person’s lifestyle and extent of the properties are not justified by his source of income.”
The commission was defending the criticisms of the commission’s raid of clubs and persecution youths who own luxury cars.
Segalink had in prompt response, tweeted, “I’m sure this section only gives you an erection when it concerns Yahoo Boys and opposition politicians. While the miraculous self aggrandisers in bed with those the head of the EFCC worships are immune to investigation.
Daylight bullion van exhibition of Bourdillon is justified right?”
EFCC was compelled to dramatically respond to Segalink: “Not to toe the line of politics as you may wish but the EFCC has successfully investigated, prosecuted and secured over 1, 245 convictions between 2015 and 2019 which included two former governors, several top government functionaries both in the past and present dispensations. Applaud us.”
Segalink, identified as the leader of the #EndSARS Movement, returned the dramatic tweet: “Let me splash some colours on this to make it simpler to comprehend. Your tweet claims that all the EFCC requires to hunt down citizens is the display of wealth that can’t be justified. What justified the relocation of CBN to Asiwaju’s house on Bourdillon on the eve of election?”
The challenge appeared to have been inescapable for the EFCC in the public glare; putting the commission under pressure for the a priori impossible task.
The commission was then compelled to request Segalink, tweeting: “Kindly forward your petitions to or visit any of our zonal offices of head office to submit a copy of your petition.”
The PDP noted that EFCC while ignoring the bullion van duty at Tinubu’s residence in Lagos has been prosecuting the son-in-law of the PDP 2019 Presidential candidate over possession of $2 million during the Presidential election.