EFCC and the Sun 

The owner of the Sun Newspapers is Mr Kalu, the former governor of Abia State and under investigation by the EFCC for privatising public funds for his personal use.

The EFCC as part of its function sought and obtained an interim forfeiture order against some assets of Mr Kalu. These assets include the property and equipments of the Sun newspapers.

The Sun and Mr Kalu as their right sought relief from forfeiture from the appeal court. What is not clear is whether upon appeal, Mr Kalu and the Sun newspapers also applied to set aside the interim order while the substantive suit was pending appeal.

In the meantime, the Sun Newspapers has been critical of the leadership of the EFCC and the EFCC. It has also adopted a supportive stand for the Biafra movement.

The EFCC sent a detachment of heavyly armed personal to raid the premises of the Sun Newspaper. The Sun newspapers claimed that the raid was to intimidate it for its reports and editorial critical of the EFCC and therefore an affront to press freedom.

The EFCC in possible response claimed it was merely checking on the asset over which it has a lieu under the interim forfeiture order.

That’s a lie. If the EFCC wanted to check on the assets it should have sent a heavyly pencilled detachment of accountants and auditors. The armed officers were not there to take inventory of asset but to harass the personal of the Sun newspapers.

The Sun and Mr Kalu are hidding under the cover of the press to harrass the leadership of the EFCC for its political aim.

The resort to self help by the EFCC is an affront to and damages the constitutional rule of law seeking to find space in Nigeria. One can not be half pregnant. The EFCC can not start a legal process and then resort to self help just because it is legally authorised to bear arms and use such arms to truncate the rule of law. You do not use the rule of law as a showpiece hut should be a inculcated in our culture and traditions.

The courts should bear down on the EFCC by recinding the interim forfeiture order and remand any offending officer of the EFCC to custody.

The public will take a view on the reporting and comments of the Sun newspapers and consider voting with their feet. If the Sun has no readership it can’t poison the public discuss on matter of Biafra.