$15m: Stop witch hunting and persecuting Patience Jonathan- Ijaw Youth Council tells EFCC

The Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide (IYC) have accused the EFCC of witch hunting and persecuting ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and his family.

‎President of IYC, Udengs Eradiri said this in Yenagoa, while reacting to the $15 million seized from the accounts of former first lady, Patience Jonathan. Eradiri says before Patience Jonathan is questioned about her wealth, past first ladies should also be questioned about their sources of wealth.

“First Ladies in Nigeria do not do any work. You know what it is; a woman naturally attracts a lot of gifts from men, let alone the First Lady who has the power to recommend people for something. They receive a lot of ‘Thank you’ and gratification because in most cases they recommend people. Those they recommended usually come back and say thank you ma. Even when they do not recommend, people can go and say thank you with a million dollars. The scenario did not start with Dame Patience Jonathan. We know how influential the former First Lady before her was and other first ladies – how powerful, how rich, how wealthy they were as a result of gratification because they were Presidents’ wives. That is how they amass their wealth. If you say Patience Jonathan should go and show how she made her money, then, you must first start with all the other former First Ladies before her, otherwise it is a witch-hunt. Patience Jonathan got her wealth from thank you and there is nowhere in the law that says we should not receive thank you. So, EFCC should stop this nonsense. If you have issues, go and follow the due process and don’t begin to use the media to tarnish the image of the former first family. ‎ Jonathan should be respected in Nigeria. You heard what happened during the time of late President Yar’Adua, Jonathan did not witch-hunt that family irrespective of the humiliation he suffered despite the position of the law. This is a witch-hunt and the EFCC must stop this attitude because very soon, people will begin to resist them. Nigerians will get to the point where they will no longer accept it.‎ We support the fight against corruption. All of us know that corruption has eaten deep into our fabric, but this selective fight especially geared towards the region must not be allowed. It is in this country that they talked about Abacha’s loot, yet a university had been approved for Abacha’s wife. In this same country where they said Abacha was corrupt. So, why are you treating one former first family differently and then everybody wants to humiliate Jonathan’s family in the best of their ability. The former First Lady, Patience, has no question to answer.. The EFCC is destroying Buhari’s anti-graft policy because when your anti-graft is beginning to show it is one-sided, it will lose credibility” he said‎ .