According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a “valid court order” allowed them to hold suspects in connection with vote-buying during the governorship race in Ekiti State.
According to InsightnaijaTV, the EFCC held several suspects, including a pregnant woman and a nursing mother, without charge or trial for days in its office in Ilorin, Kwara State. The defendants were held on suspicion of buying votes.
However, the commission disputed that a pregnant lady was among the detained in a statement released by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, on Monday.
He said, “Our attention had been drawn to some reports in a section of the media, alleging that the Commission is detaining “a pregnant woman, nursing mother, others, over vote-buying”, consequent on some arrests made in the wake of the recent governorship election in Ekiti State.
“The Commission wishes to state that there is no pregnant woman among the suspects arrested on allegation of vote-buying during the Ekiti governorship election.
“A pregnancy test conducted on all-female suspects arrested during the Ekiti governorship poll at the Kwara State Hospital, Ilorin, returned negative.
“Earlier tests conducted in a private hospital also came out negative for all the female suspects.
“Furthermore, it is important to stress that all the suspects, male and female, are being held, based on a valid Order of Court, pending the conclusion of investigations.
“The suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigations were finalized.
“The public is advised to ignore insinuations and wild claims about the mistreatment of suspects as the Commission is committed to the observance of the rule of law in all its operations,” he said.
