The family and friends of Audu Friday, an Abuja based businessman being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes and Commission (EFCC) have accused the commission of mounting a campaign of calumny through the deployment of falsehoods and prejudicial actions to compromise his trial.
They particularly accused the commission of weaponising the infamous mugshots that citizens detained in their custody are compelled to pose for (behind signposts accusing them of crimes) to prejudice the trial of Mr Audu and lynch him in the court of public opinion in order to deny him the presumption of innocence in accordance with the rule of law.
The group led by Barrister Usman Salifu-Oguche Esq speaking at a media briefing organized by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria ( HURIWA) specifically denied that a press statement circulated by the EFCC last week claiming that “Audu was arrested on December 10, 2024, in Lagos during a surprise operation by EFCC operatives codenamed ‘Eagle Flush Operation.’ “
“Friday was never arrested at anytime by EFCC or any law enforcement agency either on December 10, 2024 or at anytime in his life of well over 50 years as an engineer and successful businessman.
“EFCC deliberately cooked up this lie. As a matter of fact Friday never knew or heard of the so-called raid until January 9th when he went to the Lagos office of the EFCC after two informal calls by unknown people claiming to be EFCC investigators.”
The group said the he first call was made to Friday on December 17th 2024 by a fellow who identified himself as Nnamdi ( phone number withheld) while the second came from a different person who gave his name as Usman ( phone number withheld) on December 22.
“Their most potent arsenal in the pursuit of this persecutory agenda would seem to be the Mugshot (behind a large signpost of criminal charges) which he was compelled to pose for under duress in the course of his detention. They circulate this picture then reinforce it will brazen lies like the one we have just bursted.
“Mr. Friday’s ongoing ordeal reflects an alarming but familiar pattern: the EFCC is using his name and image to create the impression that the “Kingpin” and “mastermind” of a cyber fraud syndicate has been arrested. The weaponisation of this mugshot is like a life sentence even after citizens are able to establish their innocence.
“They force detainees to pose for it and then circulate same to shame and taint them even while their cases are before the courts. Most people instantly see persons depicted in these mugshots not as accused citizens who may turn innocent or otherwise, but conclusively as criminals.
In the extant case,because they are fully aware that they have no evidence to sustain their trumped-up charges, after every court date this commission that is statutorily mandated to fight corruption and financial crimes will first release the weaponized mugshot, then crookedly embark on a brazen criminal scheme of falsying facts to sustain their contrived allegations.”
They insist that “EFCC’s deliberate falsehoods like claiming to have arrested Friday in a raid when they know he voluntarily responded to an invitation several weeks after the alleged raid more than anything proves that every allegation against the business man so far is false. When you tell one lie, you will have to invent a thousand more lies to cover the first one. That is what is happening in this case. The ayre prosecuting based on falsehood. Now they have to look for more lies to cover their tracks.” He said.
He also challenged the tag of Kingpin which the commission has hanged on the businessman.
” Friday has never been to the premises where they claimed to have arrested a gang of 792 persons. He doesn’t even know the location. He doesn’t know a single person among the almost 800 people they are parading against him. And we challenge EFCC to show that anyone among the nearly 800 people either either know him in person, directly or indirectly or have been in contact with him either physically, through digital medium or in any manner whatsoever. How then is he a Kingpin of a gang he doesn’t know and they don’t know him?
Salihu-Oguche a legal practitioner said although they are tempted to give a detailed account of the case to prove Mr Audu’s to show Friday’s innocence and EFCC’s conspiracy to incriminate him, the group is restrained by the fact that the matter is already subjudice before two superior courts of coordinate jurisdiction.
“To do so would amount to capitulating to the bait of a lawless commission, which is quick to haul individuals before courts on spurious charges but yet has total disregard for the process of the rule of law and the judiciary. We can not be like them. We are confident that Friday will prove his innocence in a free and fair trial. But we won’t continue to watch the EFCC fabricate lies to compromise the process. “
HURIWA in a statement signed by it’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko also decried the tactics and motive of the EFCC. The statement read.
“HURIWA Condemns EFCC’s Alleged Persecution of Citizen Audu Friday, Demands Adherence to Rule of Law
The prominent civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has condemned in the strongest terms the alleged continued persecution, arbitrary detention, and character assassination of Citizen Audu Friday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), describing the commission’s actions as a gross violation of human rights and due process.
In a statement made available to journalists on Thursday in Abuja, HURIWA expressed deep concern over what it called a “brazen abuse of prosecutorial powers” by the anti-graft agency, accusing it of orchestrating a campaign of deliberate falsehoods and reckless defamation against Audu Friday, an Abuja-based businessman, who has been reportedly incarcerated by the EFCC for over 100 days under suspicious and unproven allegations of cyber fraud and money laundering.
According to HURIWA, the alleged actions of the EFCC—ranging from unlawful detention, physical assault, duplicate charges in different courts, to deliberate media disinformation—amount to a calculated attempt to prejudice the ongoing legal process and publicly convict the accused before he has had a fair chance to defend himself.
“The EFCC has crossed the line of decency, legality, and professionalism in its desperate effort to demonize a citizen who voluntarily honored their informal invitations and has cooperated fully with their investigations,” HURIWA stated.
“The fact that the EFCC claimed in a recent press statement that Audu Friday was arrested during a so-called ‘surprise raid’ in December 2024, while available records indicate he only began contact with the commission in January 2025, raises serious questions about the agency’s credibility and motives. Furthermore, labeling him as the mastermind of a ‘792-member scam syndicate’ without a single shred of verifiable evidence or judicial conviction is irresponsible and defamatory.”
HURIWA also decried what it described as a disturbing pattern of rights violations, including Friday’s reported physical assault within court premises by EFCC operatives, and his re-arrest despite meeting stringent bail conditions, only to be re-arraigned on duplicate charges before a different court.
“This is nothing short of state-sponsored harassment and malicious prosecution,” HURIWA emphasized, warning that such behavior by a statutory agency undermines the very essence of the rule of law and erodes public trust in the justice system.
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The rights group called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately order an independent investigation into the matter and to hold EFCC operatives accountable for any acts of misconduct. HURIWA also urged the judiciary to assert its independence and ensure that Audu Friday is granted a fair hearing without interference or extrajudicial influence.
“This citizen, like every Nigerian, is entitled to the constitutional presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a competent court of law. The EFCC must be restrained from continuing its trial-by-media campaign and instead focus on presenting credible evidence before the court,” the group concluded.
HURIWA reiterated its commitment to defending civil liberties and vowed to monitor the proceedings closely to ensure that justice is not only done but is seen to be done in the case of Citizen Audu Friday.
