EFCC paraded us like thieves - Ex-Ondo PDP chair

A former Ondo State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Clement Faboyede, on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, complained to a Federal High Court in Lagos that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) paraded him like a thief in 2016.

He testified during his trial for allegedly laundering N500million in the build-up to the 2015 general election.

The defendant, alongside then Ondo State Coordinator of President Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation for the 2015 general election, Modupe Adetokunbo, were accused of receiving the cash from Owolanke Michael.

The anti-graft agency alleged that they paid the sum to the Ondo State Election Committee of the PDPý without through any financial institution.

They are facing three counts of money laundering before Justice Saliu Saidu.

At the resumption of proceedings on Tuesday Faboyede was led in evidence by his lawyer, Usman Shamshudeen.

The day’s business was a trial-within-trial to determine the authenticity of the statements he made to the EFCC in 2016.

The defendant told the judge that an operative of the EFCC, Zakari Usman, compelled him to make some refunds as a condition for administrative bail.

Faboyede said he and Adetokunbo were received and quizzed by Zakari on December 8, 2016 at the EFCC office in Lagos.

According to him, “Zakari’s first statement to us was that ‘you guys stole N500million and you are thieves’.

“They then confronted us with a paper receipt issued by myself and the second defendant, in relation to the N500million paid to us on behalf of the PDP Ondo State chapter at Fidelity Bank, Akure, which our party asked us to collect for the 2015 presidential and National Assembly elections for Ondo State logistics.

“Zakari said he wanted the money back. Thereafter, he handed us over to Mrs. Oluwatoyin Ige, who took our statements.”

Faboyede alleged that Zakari treated them harshly and even initially refused to allow him go to the toilet when he was pressed.

He said he felt very humiliated when the EFCC operatives made him walk in bathroom slippers from the agency’s detention facility to its office the following day.

“It was humiliating; we were thoroughly humiliated,” he said.

The defendant added: “They paraded us like thieves before cameras, taking shots, asking us to march in a file and brought us to court. The humiliation was too much. It was on the Internet, everywhere in the whole world.

“Before we knew it, we were at Ikoyi Prison for 22 days.”

Justice Saidu adjourned till November 16, for final addresses in the trial-within-trial.