Fresh out of prisons where he was remanded for two
months as he faced corruption trial before a Federal High Court, a former
Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, came out swinging Friday night, using
his first press statement since his release to lob scathing assaults against
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Mr. Fani-Kayode, who was announced released only a
few hours ago after spending 67 days in Ikoyi Prisons, said his arrest
and
ongoing trial were a handiwork of Mr. Buhari’s government that aimed to
“silence me, break me, discredit me and destroy.”
Until Friday, Mr. Fani-Kayode had remained detained
since he was first arrested on May 9, 2016, after honouring an invitation from
Nigeria’s flagship anti-corruption agency, the EFCC.
Mr. Fani-Kayode was later transferred to Lagos
where authorities slammed a 17-count charge on him, mostly bothering on
allegations that the one-time Minister of Culture and Tourism benefitted from
stolen public funds during the 2015 general elections.
After weeks in detention, Mr. Fani-Kayode was
granted a N250 million bail on July 4, but he was still kept in custody pending
his meeting the requirements for his bail.
“I give thanks to God that I am free after 67 days
in detention,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said. “I thank my wife, lawyers, children and
friends for all their support.”
Mr. Fani-Kayode said his ordeal behind bars marked
the worst moment of his life and emphasised his innocence.
“This was the worst experience of my life but God
was with me all the way. I suffered immeasurably but I count it all as
joy. I am innocent of all charges and I look forward to defending myself
vigorously in court.
“These charges are
politically motivated and I have been severely punished for my political views
and criticisms of the government,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said.
Both Mr. Buhari and the
EFCC had pushed back against claims that government critics, like Mr.
Fani-Kayode, were being unfairly targeted in Mr. Buhari’s signature ‘war
against corruption.’
In June, Ibrahim Magu,
acting chairman of the EFCC, reportedly dismissed concerns about his
department’s alleged favoritism in prosecuting cases of corruption as a mere
“perception matter because there is no single suspect of the agency that has
come to the public space with claims of innocence of any kind.”
Earlier this week while
still behind bars, Mr. Fani-Kayode had said through his media adviser, Jude
Ndukwe, that he remained undaunted by his detention, but added that he had
missed his family, especially his five-month-old son.
“Despite the fact that he
has been locked up for the last 62 days, he remains confident, strong, healthy
and in very high spirits,” Mr. Ndukwe said. “He misses his family very badly,
especially his five-month-old son, Aragon, and he looks forward to coming home
to be with his family, friends and loved ones.”
He echoed a similar resolve
in his statement Friday night.
“I am strong and I am bold
and the struggle will continue.”
...Premiumtimes
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