The Coalition of Northern Youth groups has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration of using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as a tool for selective justice, intimidation and political instrument.
This was as the Coalition accused President Tinubu of selective treatment and deep-seated hostility toward the North, and alleged that the EFCC has been reduced to a political instrument.
The Coalition specifically noted that President Tinubu is orchestrating a malicious campaign against opposition leaders in the country, with the clear intention of intimidating, silencing dissent, and steering Nigeria toward a dangerous one-party state
Chairman of the group, Mr. Hamza Bala, who stated these while briefing journalists in Kaduna, said that the President is deliberately orchestrating a campaign of persecution against prominent Northern opposition figures, including the former Attorney General of the Federation and minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
Bala said that Malami’s family members have been harassed and subjected to relentless pressure, emphasising that the EFCC has shown institutional bias in its handling of corruption cases.
The Coalition pointed out what it described as “double standards” in the treatment of Northern opposition figures compared to their Southern counterparts, citing the examples Betta Edu, Nyesom Wike, and Ifeanyi Okowa, who faced corruption allegations, but remain free.
The coalition therefore demanded the immediate release of Malami, an end to the harassment of his family, and the release of all opposition figures detained by the EFCC.
The youth group also called for an end to selective justice and the EFCC’s open hostility toward members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
It noted that the current administration’s hostility toward the North goes beyond political persecution, stressing that the approval of food crop imports that have crippled local agriculture and worsened poverty in Northern communities were pointers.
While reaffirming their unflinching support for Malami and all Northern opposition leaders facing persecution, the members of the coalition called on all Northerners to rise in unity and defend their leaders, dignity, and collective interests.
The coalition demanded an immediate halt to selective justice, stressing that need for the EFCC to be compelled to investigate and prosecute all corruption cases fairly, regardless of political affiliation or region.
Members of the Coalition warned that they would not fold their arms and watch the North to be marginalized and its leaders destroyed through intimidation.
The coalition said that without the North, Tinubu could not have won the 2023 presidential election, adding that the majority of the votes the President secured came from the North.
