By Newspot Nigeria Staff
Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a tool to suppress dissenting voices.
In a no-holds-barred interview with Arise Television on Sunday, Yusuf alleged that his recent detention by the EFCC was politically motivated, describing it as a calculated attempt to intimidate him into silence. According to Yusuf, EFCC operatives stormed his residence on January 29 without presenting an arrest warrant, an action he likened to the treatment reserved for “notorious criminals.”
“They treated me as if they had captured a notorious criminal like Kachalla Bello Turji,” he said, recalling how his basic rights were allegedly violated during the arrest process, including being denied the chance to change his clothes or receive clothing from his wife.
Professor Yusuf, who pleaded not guilty to a five-count charge of alleged fraud filed against him by the EFCC, maintained that the charges were trumped up as part of a broader strategy to muzzle him. Despite spending six days in EFCC custody and an additional 24 days at Kuje Prison after being denied bail, Yusuf said the ordeal only strengthened his resolve.
“Bail is a constitutional right for accused persons except in capital offenses or terrorism cases. My case was neither,” he stated.
He expressed concern that President Tinubu, once a renowned activist against military dictatorship under the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), now risks turning Nigeria into a “one-party dictatorial state” by stifling legitimate criticism.
Yusuf, appointed in 2016 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, was suspended twice during his tenure over corruption allegations before his eventual removal in 2019. He insists that his current travails are politically orchestrated, warning that the health of Nigeria’s democracy depends on respecting the right to dissent.
At the time of filing this report, the Presidency had yet to respond to the allegations.
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