Obanikoro to EFCC: Stop this media trial, publish names of the directors and signatories to the McNamara account

The immediate past Minister of State, Foreign
Affairs and a former Nigerian Ambassador to
Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has challenged
controversial online platform, Sahara Reporters
and the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) to sincerely publish the
names of the Directors and signatories to the
alleged Silva McNamara Limited account to the
public as at when the said money was paid
instead of demonising and deceiving Nigerians
with vague, contrived and distorted information.
Obanikoro is appalled by the public political
persecution embarked upon by these agencies
noting that there is nowhere in the world where
investigations are being conducted using the
pages of the newspapers.
In a statement signed on Saturday by one of his
Media Aide, Mr. Jonathan Eze, it queried the
wisdom and logic of bandying figures and
associating same with his sons who are thorough
bred professionals in their own rights reminding
them that the court of law is and remains the
judicial institution for trying cases and not
whipping sentiments in order to give the dog a
bad name and hang it.
The statement opined that Sahara Reporters is
propagating these lies and propaganda because
of the legal cases against it by the former
Minister for misleading the public and defaming
his hard earned name and reputation having
served the nation in various capacities with
enviable untainted records of public service. It
urged the EFCC to be straight and above board in
their investigations and avoid speculations and
conjectures that are infringing on the fundamental
human rights of his sons.
The statement reads in parts:" Associating my
sons to the Sylva McNamara account that
allegedly received funds from the office of the
embattled National security Adviser is highly
preposterous and unthinkable. "I am particularly
amazed by the fact that trials and investigations
are being done using the media unconventionally
just to satisfy the cravings of political entities
who are desperate to rub my hard earned
reputation in the mud. " Since the invicinble
Sahara Reporters whom I have legal cases
against are at the forefront of misleading the
public and defaming my person, perhaps
rationalizing that I would withdraw pending suits
against it, I am using this medium to challenge it
and the EFCC to publish in good conscience the
signatories and the names of the directors of the
said company and to restate that I shall
conclusively pursue this injustice and
infringements to a logical end., "