Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has delivered a scathing rebuke of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over what he described as the unlawful detention of Muhammad Gudaji Kazaure, a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, without trial.
Kazaure, a former member of the House of Representatives who represented the Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa, and Yankwashi Federal Constituency between 2015 and 2023, was reportedly invited by the EFCC to its Kano State office. He honoured the invitation, only to be arrested and secretly flown to Abuja on Wednesday — where he has since been held incommunicado without any formal charges.
Atiku, in a strongly worded statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, accused the EFCC of operating like a rogue agency, flouting constitutional provisions and trampling on the rights of Nigerians in its increasingly “lawless and opaque” operations.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has once again plunged headlong into its well-worn pattern of lawlessness, arresting and detaining citizens with brazen disregard for due process and without offering any justification for its actions,” Atiku stated.
He drew parallels between Kazaure’s arrest and the controversial detention of social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, whose freedom was only secured after intense public outrage.
“Now, the EFCC has targeted Hon. Muhammad Kazaure, a former legislator and an unapologetic critic of the gross misgovernance and failings of the Tinubu administration. Abducted in Kano and whisked away to Abuja, Kazaure is presently being held incommunicado, with no formal charge or explanation offered to his family, legal team, or the Nigerian people,” Atiku lamented.
Kazaure, a card-carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has consistently spoken out on issues ranging from insecurity to corruption. He famously alleged in December 2022 that N89.09 trillion in stamp duty revenue had been misappropriated and accused then-CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele of hiding $171 billion in a private investor’s account — a claim the Central Bank quickly dismissed as false and unfounded.
Atiku emphasized that even if there were legitimate reasons for Kazaure’s arrest, the EFCC is constitutionally obligated to follow due process. “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is unequivocal on this matter—every detainee must be promptly charged to court or released.”
He further warned that the EFCC’s silence and opaque handling of Kazaure’s detention expose the agency’s deepening descent into political witch-hunting, fueled by a government intolerant of dissent.
“While this administration coddles and cuts deals with politically exposed individuals accused of grand corruption, it unleashes the full force of the state against lone voices who dare to call out its failures. This double standard is not only repugnant but dangerous to Nigeria’s democratic fabric.”
Atiku concluded with a call for the immediate release or arraignment of Kazaure, insisting that justice and the rule of law must not be sacrificed on the altar of political vendettas.
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