Despite a court
order on Monday, asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) to release Francis Okakuro, the Acting Accountant General of
Bayelsa State, the commission yesterday filed a case against the trio
arrested and will charge them to court this week.

A Federal High
Court sitting in Yenagoa had on Monday ordered the release of Mr.
Okakuro and two other directors of the state Ministry of Finance and
Budget. However, the spokesperson of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said
the commission still relies on a court order allowing them to be held
for two weeks before charging them to court.

“We have filed
charges against them in court already. They are to be arraigned any
moment from now, either tomorrow or the day after. We have a court
order to keep them in custody; we got the order to keep them in custody
last week.

“When we arrested
them last week, because we know that it may not be possible for us to
arraign them immediately, we approached the court to get an order to
keep them for two weeks, an order which was granted and even still
ahead of the two weeks. I know that as at today, charges were filed in
court,” he said.

Order to release

A Justice of the
Federal High Court, Faji, had directed the commission to release Mr.
Okakuro; the Director of Treasury, Abott Clinton; and his predecessor,
Anthony Ikhoboh on liberal bail conditions, pending the determination
of the motion on notice.

The three
applicants had filed a suit against the EFCC for the enforcement of
their fundamental human rights, in line with the provisions of the 1999
Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples
Rights, which do not condone the detention of anyone beyond 48 hours
without charge or trial.

The three senior
officers of the Bayelsa State government have been in the EFCC custody
since March 15, without charge or trial, and claimed that they were
also denied access to their doctors and relations.

In a statement by Doifie Ola, the chief press secretary to the
Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva deplored the arrest of the three,
describing the EFCC action as “crude, wondering why his men would be
taken away by the EFCC when no crime has been established.”