Confusion now defines the continued detention of Senator Shehu Sani by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as claims and counter-claims threaten investigation into the alleged $10,000 bribe. EFCC had arrested the senator who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th National Assembly on December 31, 2019 on allegation of extorting $10,000 from Alhaji Sani Dauda, popular as ASD, owner of a Kaduna-based motor company.
The vocal senator was arrested in Abuja for allegedly demanding $20,000 from ASD, which later came down to $10,000 to settle a matter involving him at the EFCC. Sani was subsequently granted administrative bail after a brief stay in EFCC custody, but was re-arrested after the court granted the commission leave to keep him for 14 days.
But fresh facts have emerged from a group, Freedom Movement of Nigeria (FMN) led by Dr. Isiaka Mohammed, which claimed that his detention was a witch-hunt.“Alhaji Sani Dauda (ASD) can neither read nor write in English language. All the allegations, statements and petitions were written for him to sign. Dauda claimed to have given N5 million to Sani to bribe the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and four Supreme Court justices, while Dauda or any of his associates has no case before the Supreme Court,” the group asserted.
This was used to further puncture the claim by the commission that Sani has a case to answer.He added that ASD, who also claimed to have given Sani N7.2 million, had since been unable to provide a witness or evidence of such transaction.
According to him, ASD received $25,000 from Sani in two tranches of $12,000 on December 23, 2019 and $13,000 on December 24, 2019 as advance payments for a Peugeot 508, but took $25,000 to the EFCC as evidence of bribe from Sani, which the EFCC kept as exhibit.Sani provided an invoice given to him by ASD Motors accountant and manager in the presence of ASD for the purchase of a Peugeot 508, he said, adding however that till now ASD had been unable to provide any document to prove that he gave money to Sani.
“Why should Dauda that reported Sani to the EFCC later agree to collect $15,000 from Sani in private without a witness and without the EFCC’s knowledge to serve as witness?” Mohammed queried.A source at the EFCC told The Guardian that details of the arrest and close associates of the EFCC acting chairman, Ibrahim Magu, were handling the senator’s detention.Magu’s Special Adviser on Media, Tony Amokeodo, at press time had not responded to phone calls and messages to his phone.
