James Eze, a spokesperson for the immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, has reacted to the viral video clip showing the ex-governor in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Gatekeepers News reports that in the short clip that has gone viral across social media platforms, Obiano, who was dressed in shorts and a white shirt, was seen drinking from a bottle in a closed room presumed to be in EFCC custody.
Eze, while reacting on Sunday, confirmed that the footage in circulation is authentic, adding that it does not portray his principal in a good light.
“I am confirming what was in the video, and whoever allowed that video to come out and circulate heavily on social media, does not mean well for the image of Nigeria and the image of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and for the image of my former boss, the former governor of Anambra state,” he said.
The spokesperson also accused the anti-graft agency of persecuting Obiano, saying that an accused person is presumed innocent until he is convicted.
“And I personally believe that this is a witch-hunt as the matter has been treated with a video recording of the former governor in the EFCC facility. It makes it very obvious that this is not the EFCC usual trail as we know it.
“An accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a competent Court of law. And for them to be making a mockery in the media of a video of him in his underpants circulating in the public, I think the media should be astounded by that because it is Obiano today, it could be anybody else tomorrow.”
Eze further called for an immediate investigation of “the awful treatment of a perceived offender”. He said people should be treated with dignity.
“Here is a man who did not resist arrest and you are disposing of him in his underpants, that is an assault of the dignity of Nigerians, not Obiano alone.”
