EFCC detains Femi Fani-Kayode’s wife, baby at Ekiti bank

THERE was confusion at the Ado Ekiti branch of a new generation bank, on Monday, as the wife of a former Minister of Aviation, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, was said to have been detained in the bank by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

This followed effort to arrest her and take her away while she had gone to the bank to make transactions.

Sources said no one knew that anything was going on inside the bank until the arrival of Governor Ayodele Fayose, which attracted a hailing crowd.

The curious crowd had waited around until the governor was said to have brought out the woman at about 5.00 p.m., with sources at the scene saying they did not know how long the woman and her eight-month-old baby had been held there.

However, it was gathered that the woman had sensed that her transaction was taking an unusually long time and she made inquiries, with the source alleging that the bank manager had delayed her and her baby for the arrival of the police and the EFCC.

Mrs Fani-Kayode was quoted to have said that she was badly treated by the officials while her baby was denied food, saying “I’m not a politician and that account had been dormant for about five years. I only activated it last month in Port Harcourt.

“I decided to go to the bank to make some withdrawals when I was detained on the instruction of the EFCC. They told me that the account had been frozen and they were asked by the EFCC to arrest me on the spot.

“I have been operating the account since 2005 when I was a student in the university. They had earlier frozen my two bank accounts which they have not opened till today, and I have been waiting for them to invite me, up till today they have not.”

In a reaction to the development, Fani-Kayode, in a statement, said but for the intervention of the governor, his wife, Precious Chikwendu and their child, Aragorn, would have been “kidnapped.”

“If they have a problem with me, they should face me and leave my family alone. My wife travelled to Ado Ekiti to see my friend and brother, Governor Fayose and his family.

“They were on their way out of town when they went to the bank in Ado Ekiti to get some money.

“When they got there, my eight-month-old son, Aragorn and wife, Precious Chikwendu, were illegally detained and put under arrest on the orders of the EFCC.

“She has never had any business with me, she has never been formally invited by the EFCC or asked any questions about her transactions and neither have they written to her on any issue, even though they are always sending letters to my house and sending people there.

“This was an account that has N200,000 in it and that has never had more than N500,000.

“She has operated it since 2005 and she stopped using it in 2013. The account has no connection with me and I did not know it existed till today.

“All my accounts and that of my wife have been frozen. I thank God for Governor Fayose and the people of Ado Ekiti who stormed the bank and freed my wife. My family has since left Ekiti State.

“We intend to sue the bank and to sue the EFCC for this illegal and wicked action. They have no right to do this,” he said.

“Had it not been for the intervention of Governor Fayose, they would have been taken them away and subjected them to all manners of  harm and indignities, simply because she is married to me.