SERAP sends warning to EFCC over illegal arrest and detention of Senator Sani

A peep at Senator Shehu Sani's Twitter handle shows clearly, things haven't being going well for the former Kaduna Central Senator since the turn of the new year.



Sani who has recently been on EFCC's radar over corruption allegations, has been in detention with his home searched yesterday, by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

However, like other activists detained by the Buhari administration, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, Thursday, accused the anti-graft agency of violating both the national and international law for detaining the Senator.


In a statement on Thursday by Yinka Olomojobi, SERAP asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to forthwith release Senator Shehu Sani from detention.

“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should immediately release activist, Senator Shehu Sani detained on allegations of extortion or charge him with a recognizable criminal offence.




“By prolonging his detention without charge or trial, Mr Sani is being treated like a convicted criminal, in violation of national and international law.

“The continued detention of Mr Sani without charge is against the principle of being innocent until proven guilty.



“The right to personal liberty is one of the most central human rights as it is connected to the essential rudiments of an individual’s physical freedom.

“The right to liberty requires that the arrest or detention of an individual must be in accordance to the law.


“The right therefore, protects the individual against the excesses of the government and its agents,” he said.

According to SERAP, the right to personal liberty is essentially a personal freedom in which no government can abridge.


“This right is juxtaposed with other human rights and can be formally traced back to the English Magna Carta of 1215.”

Senator Sani was one of Buhari's buddies in the APC, until his feud with Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, saw him leave the APC, and his relationship with Buhari became a thing of the past.

Sani was arrested on the 31 of December 2019, for alleged extortion of $20,000 (N7.2m), from the owner of ASD Motors, Sani Dauda.