Anenih Must Be Prosecuted Like Any Other Suspect -Oshiomhole

By Alltimepost.com

Governor Adams Oshiomhole has used the visit of Edo State Executive of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to demand the prosecution of a Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Anthony Anenih who was recently caught in the web of 2.1b dollars Dasuki arms scandal.

Oshiomhole, in his characteristic manner of scolding those considered to be adversaries said there should be no sacred cows in the prosecution of all those involved in the diversion and sharing of the money meant for arms purchase to fight the Boko Haram insurgency.

While receiving the newly elected members of the State NUJ, led by its chairman, Sir Roland Osakwe, Oshiomhole solicited media support for the Buhari administration in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

“I think the media should support the President. This is not President Buhari’s fight, and you know he had reminded us that if we don’t kill corruption, it will kill us. Now corruption is fighting back,” he warned.
Oshiomhole started with his reaction to comments in the media querying authority’s action of handcuffing PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh during his recent court appearance to face charges in the Dasuki arms scandal.

He said there was nothing wrong with putting him in chains to answer “charges of corruption leveled against him in relation to the $2.1bn arms fund.”

“Those who are accused of stealing he-goats are handcuffed and paraded by the police and get no sympathy from the public, why then should Metuh and others who diverted huge public funds be treated with respect and sympathy?,” he questioned.”

His message to the media: “I want to appeal to the Media to join President Buhari in fighting the anti-corruption war because if we don’t, and we allow these people to harass the President to silence, all of us are in trouble.”

Referring to Metuh’s statement, Oshiomhole said: “I read one article and I was shocked with the ease at which he attempted to turn logic upside down. He said that Chief Anthony Anenih has shown how he shared the money he got from the National Security Adviser that was paid to his bank account unlike other people, he didn’t deny it.

“Can you deny what they pay to your bank account? If he carried it the way they usually carried money in bullion van, he would have denied it but this time, the policeman in him failed him and the money was paid to his account so he was not at liberty to deny what was documented in a banking transaction.”

Anenih’s defense that he had no knowledge of the source of the money, Oshiomhole said was hard to sell and wondered why media reports on the PDP chieftain should be based on sources close to the anti-graft agency, EFCC.

Rather, Oshiomhole believes that Chief Anenih should go to EFCC and make statements on a prescribed form the way it is done in a police station.

He also lampooned those who use health problems as an emotional instrument to curry public sympathy in their brawl with the law, saying:
“And it is only when they are in trouble that they tell us they have medical condition; until now, nobody knew that they had medical condition.

“Which is worst, those who are ill now because they are under investigation or those who have died as a result of the crime they committed?”

Earlier in his speech, Edo State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalist, Sir Roland Osakwe said they were in government House to present the new Executive Council Members to the Governor.

He thanked the Governor for his developmental strides in the state, and for the cordial working relationship that has existed between the Union and the government in the past 7 years and sued for its sustenance.