The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has spoken out about why it moved the embattled ex Aviation Minister from Abuja to Lagos for continuation of his trial.
Femi Fani-Kayode and EFCC officials
The EFCC has revealed the reason for the movement of Fani-Kayode who was a spokesman of ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan campaign organisation, from Abuja to Lagos.
It would be recalled that the anti-graft agency arrested Fani-Kayode in Abuja, but later
transferred him to Lagos, where it obtained a court warrant to remand him in custody for three weeks.
The commission said the movement was informed by his involvement in fresh cases, which require thorough investigation by its Lagos office.
A lawyer with the EFCC, Salisu Majidadi said this while responding to a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Apo, Abuja.
Majidadi disclosed that apart from the N800million payment allegedly made to Fani-Kayode by the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, for which he was earlier arrested in Abuja, there were new cases involving him in Lagos.
He explained, “We invited him (Fani-Kayode) on May 9. After he gave his voluntary statement he was granted bail immediately.
“But because he could not meet the bail condition, the respondent (EFCC), being a law abiding agency and bearing in mind the constitutional limit to keep the applicant in custody, we rushed to the Chief Judge of this honourable court to obtain the remand order keeping him in lawful custody.
“Then we received a letter from the Special Task Force of the EFCC in Lagos that there was another petition against him.
“The order of this court was to expire on May 24. On May 23, we took him to Lagos. We quickly obtained another order from the Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on May 23 to keep him for three weeks.
“The order obtained in Lagos was in respect of another petition. All these were to ensure that we are operating within the ambit of the law.”