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Foiled attack on Atiku’s residence: APC says he deserves protection
The All Progressives Congress (APC) says Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, deserves the fullest protection of the law as a Nigerian citizen.
Mr Felix Morka, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja while reacting to the recent foiled attacks on Atiku’s Yola residence and ABTI University by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
He, however, called on the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate PDP’s allegation that the APC was responsible for the attack.
Morka described the allegation as a vacuous and mindless campaign of calumny, saying as an old party, the PDP should not indulge in such.
“In continuation of its vacuous and mindless campaign of calumny, the PDP has alleged that suspected members of Boko Haram terrorist group,
“Arrested by the police following their foiled plot to attack the residence of Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and its presidential candidate, in Yola, were sponsored by the APC.
“Spewing lies and gibberish has become the PDP’s obsessive preoccupation following its crushing defeat in the last Feb. 25 Presidential Election.
“This bizarre and senseless allegation comes only days after the same badly ailing party alleged, without a shred of substantiation, that APC was engaged in a plot to intimidate members of the judiciary,” Morka noted.
He recalled that the PDP had also alledged that the APC was seeking to influence the outcome of pending cases before the Election Petitions Courts.
He said it was downright irresponsible for the PDP to continuously politicise serious matters of security and national importance “for its vain and macabre humour”.
The APC scribe added that as an age old party, this ceaseless display of incivility in the conduct of the PDP affairs was disgraceful and sad.
He explained that acts of terror or involvement in a terrorist plot were heinous crimes under the law, saying the PDP could not continue to bandy allegations around without justification.
He stressed that Abubakar is a citizen of Nigeria and deserved the fullest protection of the law.
“Our law enforcement authorities must protect and investigate any threat to his person, family or assets and prosecute offenders.
“However, Atiku’s PDP cannot continue to peddle criminal blackmail and wicked falsehoods in the name of opposition politics, unrestrained and without accountability.
“We call on the Police, DSS and other relevant security services to investigate the PDP’s wild and bogus allegations, invite its leadership to substantiate these claims and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“Nigerians roundly rejected the PDP at the polls, rather than engage in some introspection and give the court the time of day to deliver a verdict in the case they had brought challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu.
“They have chosen to busy themselves with swimming in abysmal pool of lies and mischief,” Morka stated.
He further said that while vigorously defending its legitimate and popular election mandate in court, the APC would continue to win the hearts and minds of Nigerians through Tinubu’s strategic programme of social and economic development.
According to him, Tinubu’s strategic programme of social and economic development are designed to improve the living conditions of Nigerains.
The Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN has warned against obstructing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from carrying out its lawful duty .
Fagbemi’s warning is contained in a statement in Abuja.
“This is a matter of very grave concern, it is now beyond doubt that the EFCC is given power by the law to invite any person of interest to interact with them in the course of their investigations into any matter, regardless of status.
“Therefore, the least that we can all do when invited, is not to put any obstruction in the way of EFCC, but to honourably answer their invitation.
“A situation where public officials who are themselves subject of protection by law enforcement agents will set up a stratagem of obstruction to the civil and commendable efforts of the EFCC to perform its duty is to say the least, insufferably disquieting’’.
He added that running away from the law will not resolve issues at stake but only exacerbate them.
“Nigeria has a vibrant judicial system that is capable of protecting everyone who follows the rule of law in seeking protection.
“I therefore encourage anyone who has been invited by the EFCC or any other agency to immediately toe the path of decency and civility by honouring such invitation instead of embarking on a temporising self-help and escapism.
“This can only put our country in bad light before the rest of the world’’.
He said institutions of state should be allowed to function effectively and efficiently.
“I stand for the rule of law and will promptly call EFCC, and indeed any other agency to order when there is an indication of any transgressions of the fundamental rights of any Nigerian by any of the agencies’’.
NAN reports that the EFCC had on Wednesday warned members of the public that it was a criminal offence to obstruct officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties.
Section 38(2)(a(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act makes it an offence to prevent officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties. Culprits risk a jail term of not less than five years.
The warning , the EFCC said, became necessary against the background of the increasing tendency by persons and groups under investigation by the Commission to take the laws into their hands by recruiting thugs to obstruct lawful operations of the EFCC.
On several occasions, the anti graft agency said, operatives of the Commission have had to exercise utmost restraint in the face of such provocation to avoid a breakdown of law and order.
Some unknown gunmen have kidnapped Joshua Rogers, the ChannelsTV reporter in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Politics Nigeria learnt that Rogers was picked up close to his residence at Rumuosi in Port Harcourt and to an unknown destination by the gunmen around 9pm on Thursday, April 11.
The reporter was driving his official ChannelsTV branded car when the hoodlums accosted, pointed a gun at him and took him away in the same vehicle.
Rogers was said to be returning from his official assignment in Government House after a trip to Andoni for a government event when the incident happened.
Already, the gunmen were said to have contacted his wife and demanded a N30million ransom for bis release.
His cameraman confirmed the incident and appealed to his abductors to set him free unconditionally.
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