In a recent statement via his official X account, human rights lawyer and former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, has taken criticized the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, over recent statements allegedly linking a large percentage of Nigerian university students to criminal activity.
”So, Comrade Chairman, let me ask you again: do you know this guy? Under your watch, he will run for @NGRSenate. And you will mount another podium to declaim against Nigerian students, right? Do not say no one told you,” he wrote.
In his post, Odinkalu questioned the basis of claims that more than half of students in Nigeria’s universities are involved in crime, he noted that while the public is still waiting for evidence to support such assertions, attention appears to be shifting away from more serious allegations involving politically exposed individuals.
To illustrate his point, Odinkalu referenced former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, urging the EFCC chairman to focus on figures who have been widely accused of large-scale financial misconduct, he reminded Olukoyede of Bello’s eight-year tenure in Kogi State, claiming that many believe the former governor still wields significant influence in the state.
Odinkalu alleged that the scale of financial mismanagement attributed to Bello far exceeds anything linked to ordinary students, he argued that the economic impact of such alleged actions is substantial and ongoing, suggesting that it deserves greater scrutiny than generalized claims about young people in higher institutions.
He further accused the anti-graft agency of diverting attention from powerful individuals by focusing on students, describing the approach as a form of deflection, according to him, this risks undermining public confidence in the fight against corruption…Read_More…