A cross section of Rivers State indigenes and members of the civil society on Thursday disagreed with the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt in its Wednesday�s ruling, which stopped the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting former governor of the state, Dr. Peter Odili.
Those who reacted to the judgment in an opinion poll said Odili might have battled to prevent his arrest and detention because he was sure that the EFCC might expose his past activities to the public. They said during his eight-year administration, he presented himself as the messiah and was seen as a very godly man, apparently because of his status in the church and the donations he made to some organisations and individuals.
Those who responded to Saturday Independent on the judgment said they were particularly saddened that the court could rule that the EFCC should not prosecute Odili.
The respondents said other former governors had faced the law for their activities while in office and wondered why Odili should be shielded from prosecution by the court.
But responding, President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ledum Mitee, said as a lawyer, he needed to study the judgment before speaking on behalf of the people. He said he was curious to read the judgment, stressing that he found it difficult to believe what Saturday Independent told him was the court�s verdict.
However, in a statement by the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL), civil rights activists said they �received with shock the recent ruling by the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt.
Justice Buba Ibrahim in his ruling had ordered Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and its agents not to publish findings of corruption or misappropriation of funds by Dr. Peter Odili. He further ordered the EFCC not to arrest, investigate and prosecute Odili.
In a mail by Neeka N. Nnee, the programmes officer of IHRHL, the group said the ruling was not in conformity with the anti-corruption drive of the Federal Government and the people�s desire for good governance.
�It was during his administration that Rivers State and the Niger Delta region recorded the worst case of criminal and cult-related violence where thousands of lives were lost and thousands rendered homeless, communities sacked and violence reached its peak. His administration recorded the worst decay in human and infrastructural development, with virtually nothing to show for it.� The group urged the EFCC not to relent but press on at the upper court and ensure that the people get justice by prosecuting the former governor.
Mar82008