The Senate on Tuesday waded into the arrest of the Founder and Chairman of Innoson Motors, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, asking its standing committee to probe the arrest.
The Senate decision was sequel to a point of order raised by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who narrated how Chukwuma was arrested around of 5am at his residence in Enugu State, adding that the arrest is against his human rights.
Informing the Senate on what transpired, Ekweremadu explained that Innoson Nigeria Limited was a customer of Guarantee Trust Bank Plc.
He took a loan from the bank and discovered that GTBank had arbitrarily imposed and debited the company’s current account to the tune of N700 million in excessive and unlawful charges.
He said despite series of complaints and demand for reversal of the illegal charges, a defiant GTBank refused to refund the N700 million to Innoson.
According to Ekweremadu, the business mogul is not indebted to the bank and had repaid the loan he borrowed from the bank .
He wondered how a private interaction between two people would now become the issue of the anti-graft agency .
Ekweremadu, while speaking on the issue, prayed for the immediate intervention of the Senate in the matter, wondering why the security agency would interfere in an issue that still a subject of litigation.
Seconding the motion, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe condemned arrest and detention of chairman of Innoson Motors, saying what the anti-graft agency twitted about the situation is blatant lie.
The EFCC accused Chukwuma of hiring six truckloads of thugs to attacks its operatives when they went to arrest him at his Enugu residence.
Speaking against the arrest, Senator Barnabas Gemade, who expressed dissatisfaction with the arrest said ineptitude of the EFCC, said the institution should not be used to intimidate Nigerians.
Gemade said: “Our economy is currently in the wrong direction.
“Those who are trading money are doing nothing to improve the economy.
“They are only feeding fat on the economy.
“CEOs of banks have become such powerful institution using security apparatus to the advantage of Nigerians.
“Due process should be followed.”
The Deputy Senate Leader, Ibn Bala Na’Allah, said what happaned in Enugu falls short of civilized standard, describing the incidence as a hang over of military mentality.
In his comment, Senator Samuel Anyanwu said: “I want to ask a question: EFCC as it stand today, does it have a chairman?
“Because I know in this chamber, the head of EFCC was rejected.
“I don’t understand what we are doing.
“If we allow this to continue, there is nothing that will ever work.”
In his remarks, the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, asked if a private commercial interaction can become the focus of EFCC probe.
Saraki said in the United States of America, the Federal Bureau of Investigation does not interfere in private transactions.
After exhaustive debate on the motion, the Senate resolved that its Committee on Anti-corruption should investigate the matter and submit the report within 24 hours.
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