Ekweremadu: Influential persons may be behind the raid of my house

Ike Ekweremadu, deputy president of the senate, has asked the police to conduct an investigation to determine if influential masterminds were behind the raid of his house.

Last Friday, some security agents raided the guest house of the deputy senate president on a tip-off by some whistle-blowers.

No incriminating item was found on the property, and one of the informants, Ahmed Echodo, was arraigned before an upper area court in Gudu, Abuja on Tuesday, for misleading the police.

In a statement issued by Uche Anichukwu, his media aide, Ekeremadu commended the inspector-general of police, on the prosecution of one of the false whistle blowers.

“I want to give the police hierarchy the benefit of doubt that it did not authorise the impunity, harassment, and witch-hunt executed by police officers on my official guest house last Friday, and that the police were misled,” he said.

“I hope the swift arraignment of the alleged whistleblowers will be emulated by other security and anti-corruption agencies and also serve as a deterrent to those who lend themselves as willing tools to people out to intimidate and persecute others as well as tarnish their image for whatever motives.

“But beyond the arraignment, I urge the police to dig deeper to determine if there were influential masterminds behind the incident as a bird does not dance by the roadside without a drum-beater somewhere in the bush.

“Perhaps, if the attempt on my life on November 17, 2015 was taken seriously by the security agencies, those who desperately seek to destroy me by all means possible would have been fished out or had a rethink.

“Unfortunately, after the police carried out diligent execution of the search warrant no incriminating items were found therein. You by such action misled the police and hereby committed the above offences.”

A few weeks before the raid, the lawmaker had raised the alarm that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was plotting to frame him. But the EFCC dismissed the allegation.