SERG demands release of Cubana Chief Priest, warns against EFCC's harassment of Igbos

By -

*Pascal Okechukwu, aka, Cubana Chief Priest


(Nigeria) Pan-Igbo sociopolitical pressure group, the South East Revival Group, SERG, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to immediately release popular socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, also known as Cubana Chief Priest, for alleged tax fraud and money laundering.

In a statement signed by its President and National Coordinator, Chief Willy Ezugwu, the SERG said “the arrest of the Cubana Chief Priest is part of the deliberate harassment of Igbo sons and daughters for political reasons by the EFCC.”

Arrested at the Lagos airport on Thursday, the Cubana Chief Priest is being quizzed by anti-graft operatives while the agency was said to be on the hunt for his alleged accomplices.

However, the SERG noted that “money laundering and tax evasion allegations against the Cubana Chief Priest were the same allegations leveled against Obinna Iyiegbu, known as Obi Cubana, by the EFCC when he was arrested last year.

“Arrest of rich Igbos is now a fallout of an obvious script being executed by the EFCC as the Commission is now allowing itself to be used as agent of mischief against Igbos ahead of the 2023 general elections.

“When has the EFCC become a tax collector in Nigeria? If there is a tax evasion allegations against the Cubana Chief Priest, let the appropriate tax authorities take him to court.

“The EFCC is fund of arresting  south east business moguls and keeping them in custody to source for evidence with which to nail them each time electioneering activities are ongoing.

“The detain-and-source for evidence tactics now seems to be a policy of the EFCC against South easterners who have continued to struggle to remain in business despite harsh economic conditions in the country.

“It is painful that the South East, which is without any reasonable federal government presence, will have her prominent citizens detained under any pretence for political reasons.

“These are people who have no other means of survival than trading and provision of services since the region was abandoned after the civil war in 1970.

"The SERG hereby demands immediate and unconditional release of Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest by the EFCC.

“We warn the EFCC to desist from harassing south easterners on fabricated allegations of money laundering and tax evasion just like they did to Obi Cubana at the pick of the Anambra State governorship election”, the SERG stated.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UBTH @50: Obaseki hails institution’s role in strengthening Edo healthcare

By -
Image
(Nigeria) Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, has commended the staff and management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, for their unwavering commitment, dedication, and hard work in providing high-quality healthcare services to the people of Edo State and Nigeria in the past fifty years. Obaseki, at a dinner organized in honour of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors of Nigeria, at the Government House, Benin City, reassured the government’s continuous partnership and collaboration with the federal government-owned health institution to strengthen the health system and ensure quality health delivery to Edo people. The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Philip Shaibu, reeled out the gains of the government’s reforms in the health sector, commending the medical centre for bolstering the government’s efforts at transforming Edo State into a health hub. He said, "We came into a wilderness where you have to cut a part for yourself and fix it. We held
Read more

Osun: S'Court ruling affirmed power resides with the people - Diri

By -
Image
*Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri (Nigeria) Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has said the ruling of the country’s apex court on the Osun State governorship election was an affirmation that power in a democracy resided with the people. Governor Diri, while congratulating Senator Ademola Adeleke in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, on Wednesday, expressed joy that the Supreme Court sealed the mandate freely given to the governor by the Osun people. The Bayelsa governor also said the verdict reflected the current mood of the country where those whose stock-in-trade is to promote electoral violence and subvert the will of the people have no place in our electoral system. He expressed the hope that introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, will instil more confidence in the electoral process, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deepen Nigeria’s democracy by also introducing electronic votin
Read more

Presidential poll: CNPP backs calls for live broadcast of tribunal’s proceedings

By -
Image
*Presidential election petition tribunal sittings in Abuja (Nigeria) Conference Of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, has thrown its weight behind calls for live broadcast of the proceedings of the presidential election petition court sittings in Abuja. In a statement by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, the umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations in the country noted that not only will the live broadcast douse tension associated with the ongoing proceedings and high expectations by the electorates, it will also promote transparency in the court process in public interest. The CNPP also reasoned that “there is no way the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and it's candidate in the presidential election, Bola Tinubu, will oppose a live broadcast of the tribunal’s sittings up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria where the matter will eventually terminate if any of the parties procee
Read more