•knocks Buhari’s re-appointment of EFCC chairman, Bawa
The Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity (CCDI) has strongly condemned the killing of four staff members of the United States Consulate Lagos Office, on Tuesday.
In a statement signed by Mr Olufemi Aduwo, president of the international organisation which operates in Nigeria and the United States with United Nations Consultative status, CCDII expressed shock and outrage at what it called the dastardly act.
“The murder in cold blood of the United States Foreign mission officials is not only worrisome but a thing of shame that the insecurity situation in Nigeria has spiralled out of control under Buhari.
“Definitely, the vehicles were clearly identified with the United States consulate number plates hence it was a deliberate and planned attack. The perpetrators must be fished out and brought to book within the shortest possible time.
“CCDI believes the calculated attack on the US citizens demands a thorough investigation,” he said.
Aduwo, who is a permanent representative of the CCDI to the United Nationa, called on President Muhammadu Buhari “to urgently set up multi-security agencies investigation team made up of the Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the police with assistance from United States security agency” to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the attack.
“We believe the attack has a political undertone. We offer our deepest condolences to the United States Foreign Mission in Nigeria, families and loved ones of those killed and injured in the unwarranted attack.
“Any attack against diplomats or diplomatic facilities anywhere is unacceptable. We remind the government of Nigeria of its responsibility under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to protect foreign diplomats in Nigeria.
“This is unacceptable. Both diplomats and non-diplomats of Foreign Missions in Nigeria should be protected,” Aduwo said.
In another development, Aduwo condemned the re-appointment letter President Buhari sent to the Senate to confirm the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdul Rasheed Bawa for another term.
CCDII said Buhari should allow the incoming president, Senator Bola Tinubu, to reconstitute the EFCC board.
“Currently, the EFCC is more or less a toothless bulldog. The chairman has displayed signs of weaknesses. Apart from parading hapless Yahoo boys, how many serious corruption cases has the agency successfully concluded?
“Where was EFCC when political parties nominated people whose cases are pending in court to contest the election and many of them won? Where is the wife of a North-Central state governor it declared wanted months ago?
“Why is President Buhari in a hurry to give Bawa a second term in office a few days before his leaving office? After all, Ibrahim Magu was in an acting capacity as EFCC chairman for many years.
“More importantly, who says only people from the northern part of the country have saints who should manage the EFCC? Since its inception till date, all the EFCC chairpersons are from Northern Nigeria and they all left office with corruption allegations hanging on their necks.
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