Buhari's government witch-hunting Goodluck Jonathan by maligning his wife - Human Rights Lawyers

A Group of Human Rights Lawyers has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to put an end to the media trial of the former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, saying it could worsen the country’s situation and that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government should stop saying it would not probe Goodluck Jonathan while maligning his wife Patience Jonathan.


Addressing newsmen on behalf of the group, in Abuja, Ugochukwu Osuagwu, said they were not against investigating and prosecuting the former First Lady, but it should be done in line with the laws, and not on the pages of newspapers or internet.

Osuagwu revealed that the $31.4million released to the public is not the correct figure of what is in the said Skye Bank account owned by Mrs Patience Jonathan. According to him, “The actual figure is $8.2million. This is the correct amount not $20m, not $31.4m released to the public.

“We wish to state that the story of the EFCC and as published by various media concerning Mrs. Jonathan and Skye bank are false, malicious and does not reflect the true picture of what transpired.

“We are not against the fight against corruption by EFCC but let it be done with decency but must not be done or seen as unleashing so much vendetta, vindictiveness and carefully planned and rehearsed acts of witch hunt against Mrs. Jonathan.

“We as concerned citizens termed this media trial as a complete defamation of character against the past president. Remember what goes around comes around. With the recent development, a bad precedent is being laid down.”

He explained that going by the brief they received from the Ex-first Lady, the three accounts opened in companies’ names were opened in error by Dudafa, the SA on Domestic Affairs to Patience Jonathan and she had complained to the Bank management to convert the accounts to her personal account but the bank failed to effect her request.

“But the said bank officials did not change the account names despite her request, having debited her account to the sum of $300 as service charge. “Why were the officials of the Skye bank not also arraigned with the affected companies being charged to court?

Can a company that does not own an account in a Bank plead guilty to forfeit what does not belong to them as EFCC did in Lagos last time the matter came up?” he asked.

Osuagwu noted that the Buhari administration should stop saying that it would not probe Goodluck Jonathan, when his wife is currently being maligned in the media, adding that “this media war is scaring investors away from investing meaningfully in our country.”

The group called on the anti-graft agency to lift the caveat placed on the personal account of the wife of the immediate past president.