Fresh out of prisons where he was remanded for two months as he faced
corruption trial before a Federal High Court, a former Minister of
Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, came out swinging Friday night, using his
first press statement since his release to lob scathing assaults against
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Mr. Fani-Kayode, who was announced released only a few hours ago after
spending 67 days in Ikoyi Prisons, said his arrest and ongoing trial
were a handiwork of Mr. Buhari’s government that aimed to “silence me,
break me, discredit me and destroy.”
Until Friday, Mr. Fani-Kayode had remained detained since he was first
arrested on May 9, 2016, after honouring an invitation from Nigeria’s
flagship anti-corruption agency, the EFCC.
Mr. Fani-Kayode was later transferred to Lagos where authorities slammed
a 17-count charge on him, mostly bothering on allegations that the
one-time Minister of Culture and Tourism benefitted from stolen public
funds during the 2015 general elections.
After weeks in detention, Mr. Fani-Kayode was granted a N250 million
bail on July 4, but he was still kept in custody pending his meeting the
requirements for his bail.
“I give thanks to God that I am free after 67 days in detention,” Mr.
Fani-Kayode said. “I thank my wife, lawyers, children and friends for
all their support.”
Mr. Fani-Kayode said his ordeal behind bars marked the worst moment of his life and emphasised his innocence.
“This was the worst experience of my life but God was with me all the
way. I suffered immeasurably but I count it all as joy. I am innocent
of all charges and I look forward to defending myself vigorously in
court.
“These charges are politically motivated and I have been severely
punished for my political views and criticisms of the government,” Mr.
Fani-Kayode said.
Both Mr. Buhari and the EFCC had pushed back against claims that
government critics, like Mr. Fani-Kayode, were being unfairly targeted
in Mr. Buhari’s signature ‘war against corruption.’
In June, Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the EFCC, reportedly dismissed
concerns about his department’s alleged favoritism in prosecuting cases
of corruption as a mere “perception matter because there is no single
suspect of the agency that has come to the public space with claims of
innocence of any kind.”
Earlier this week while still behind bars, Mr. Fani-Kayode had said
through his media adviser, Jude Ndukwe, that he remained undaunted by
his detention, but added that he had missed his family, especially his
five-month-old son.
“Despite the fact that he has been locked up for the last 62 days, he
remains confident, strong, healthy and in very high spirits,” Mr. Ndukwe
said. “He misses his family very badly, especially his five-month-old
son, Aragon, and he looks forward to coming home to be with his family,
friends and loved ones.”
He echoed a similar resolve in his statement Friday night.
“I am strong and I am bold and the struggle will continue.”