After 72 hours in EFCC detention, there were indications last night that the former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, had begun opening up on the allegations of corruption brought up against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which took him into its custody on Tuesday.
The EFCC, which started following Fayose’s financial transactions more than two years ago, accused him of receiving N1.3 billion from the Office of the former National Security Adviser, Col, Sambo Dasuki (retd) and laundering the cash on choice property in Lagos and Abuja and receiving kickbacks from contractors.
Since arriving at the EFCC interrogation centre, Fayose rebuffed all attempts by the security operatives to talk, forcing the agency to approach a court to obtain a detention warrant to keep in beyond 24 hours. According to reliable sources within the commission, EFCC secured a court warrant to detain him up to 14 more days.
A source in EFCC told Vanguard last night that Fayose had started talking to the operatives of the commission but did not say in which area the former governor responded. The official said:
“Fayose has surprisingly begun talking and we hope he can open up on all the issues we are putting to him relating to the ONSA cash of N1.3 billion and the issue of alleged kickbacks from contractors.”
This came as his lawyer and human rights activist, Mike Ozekhome, hinted on Thursday that the former governor’s legal team had begun moves to get him out of the EFCC custody. Mr Ozekhome said:
“Fayose’s lawyers are already taking steps to enforce his fundamental human rights by getting him released.
“Yes, his lawyers will go to court to enforce his fundamental human rights.
“The EFCC has no right to keep him beyond 24 hours.
“If they have done that by obtaining a Magistrate Court’s Order that will be in the form of holding charge which has been declared unconstitutional and illegal by the Supreme Court. Holding charge is illegal. It is unconstitutional.’’
