Embattled former senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Shehu Sani, has finally found his voice in detention for the first time after he was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for alleged extortion of $20,000 from owner of ASD Motors, Sani Dauda.
The lawmaker has spent 10 days in the custody insisting that the allegations of extortion against him was baseless and unfounded.
He described his travail as attempt to subdue him saying such smear campaign of calumny against him would only help to energise him in the battle against injustice and corruption in Nigeria.
Sani revealed that he has provided all necessary statement and facts regarding the allegation to the EFCC, challenging the anti-graft agency to prove its case against him.
He said: “Alhaji Sani Dauda and his hidden sponsors have not been able to provide any proof of their allegations.
“I’m unjustly incarcerated on the ground of an arranged two-page petition backed with no evidential or documentary proof.
“The bribe story is a heap of blatant lies and outright falsehood concocted and fabricated, using a front and the EFCC to premiere a state drama.
“ASD is a barely educated front for a state mission. Criminalising me, or “framing me”, will not silence me, bend me or compromise me.”
Sani explained further that he has never met with the Chief Justice of Nigeria or any judge or judges directly or indirectly to offer any form of gratification from Alhaji Sani Dauda.
“They claim extortion and here they are closing my bank accounts, searching my houses and offices and demanding I declare my assets of which I have already done that at the CCB last year when I left the Senate,” he said. “The extortion allegation is nothing but a wholesale falsehood, packaged in a phantom anti-graft facade to taint, stain and mute me. That shall never happen if I am alive.”
Earlier the EFCC had obtained an ex-parte order to keep Sani for a further 14 days while also urging Dauda to come forward to prove his allegations against the former lawmaker.
So far, the anti-graft agency is yet to announce if Dauda had come forward to shed more light into the matter or not.
