A Nigerian lawyer and public affairs analyst, Liborous Oshoma, has condemned the EFCC Chairman's clandestine attempt to summon former Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello. Oshoma argued that instead of resorting to covert methods, the proper procedure should involve issuing a formal invitation supported by proper documentation when someone declines to appear.
He pointed out that there wasn't an official invitation for Bello, and when Bello asked to see it, the EFCC didn't send officers to arrest him in his village. Instead, Bello pursued legal action under Section 461 to protect his rights. Despite obtaining a court order, which the EFCC appealed, they proceeded to file charges in a federal high court and asked for an arrest warrant while the appeal was still ongoing. He suggested that the court granting the warrant might not have been informed about the appeal.
He said in an interview with Arise TV, ''If you remember that some former governors have accused the former EFCC chairman of allegedly demanding money from them. I expected that the EFCC Chairman should have learned from this instead of extending a back-door invitation. The moment the person refuses to appear, you make a formal invitation to that person and documents do not lie.
Now you try to smuggle him [Yahaya Bello] through the backdoor and the man has said show me the invitation. And there is none. And after all of this, you couldn't even send your operative to the village to go and arrest him. And then the man rushed to court in fulfillment of section 461 to say well, the way things are going, I need to protect my right. He got an order and you appealed the order. While the appeal is pending, you now go to another court and file a charge in a federal high court and then you ask for a warrant of arrest. What that might likely mean is that the court where you obtained the warrant of arrest was not aware of the pending court of appeal suit between you and the applicant.''
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