Vote-Buying: EFCC Denies Detaining Pregnant Women, Mistreating Suspects
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says no pregnant woman or nursing mother is being held in its custody over allegations of vote-buying.
It also faulted claims that it was maltreating those arrested for the same offence during the governorship election in Ekiti State.
The anti-graft agency made the rebuttal in a statement on Monday while reacting to reports suggesting that it had continued to detain a pregnant woman.
READ ALSO: EFCC Arrests Persons Engaged In Vote Buying
It faulted the report, stressing that pregnancy tests were conducted on all the female suspects arrested during the election at two different hospitals, and the results were negative.
According to the statement, the EFCC secured a valid order of the court to detain all the suspects pending the conclusion of its investigations, and they will be charged to court as soon as possible.
Read the full statement below:
The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to some reports in a section of the media, alleging that the Commission is detaining ‘a pregnant woman, nursing mother, others, over vote-buying’, consequent on some arrests made in the wake of the recent governorship election in Ekiti State.
The Commission wishes to state that there is no iota of truth in the reports. There is no pregnant woman among the suspects arrested on allegation of vote-buying during the Ekiti governorship election.
A pregnancy test conducted on all the female suspects arrested during the Ekiti governorship poll at the Kwara State Hospital, Ilorin, returned negative. Earlier tests conducted in a private hospital also came out negative for all the female suspects.
Furthermore, it is important to stress that all the suspects, male and female, are being held, based on a valid Order of Court, pending the conclusion of investigations.
The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are finalised.
The public is advised to ignore insinuations and wild claims about the mistreatment of suspects as the Commission is committed to the observance of the rule of law in all its operations.
