Arrest of Innoson Boss, Nigerians are Killing their own Economy

It was reported that Chairman of Innoson Group, Dr Innocent Chukwuma of Innoson Motors, told members of the Senate Committee on Anti-corruption, how his family members were maltreated by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, when they arrested him last December. He said that his wife was slapped while his four-month-old grandson and staff members were tear-gassed by EFCC operatives after forcefully gaining entrance to his house. If he resisted their arrest, it would have been a different thing but he confessed that he did not and do not even know any thug to assist in resisting arrest.

It was also reported that Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia-PDP), had on December 20, a day after the arrest, announced at plenary that the operatives of EFCC slapped the wife of Mr. Chukwuma because she asked them why they were arresting her husband.  

Meanwhile, a Lagos High Court Sitting in Ikeja has issued a warrant of arrest on the Chairman of Innoson Motors Limited to have him arrested again.

I wonder why a country like Nigeria in need of investors, even foreign investors, are humiliating those who were able to navigate the tough terrain of Nigerian business world to improve Nigerian economy. Some business is crumbling because of the harsh economic situations, multiple taxation, poor infrastructures, etc. Many people want to be self employed, they want to create employment but cannot do so because of bad roads, power failure, political instability, inconsistency in policy and in keeping the set laws, etc. Yet, those who were able to do so are always under investigation for no good reason.

If the EFCC and those who order them will channel this strength of theirs to the real criminals in this country, Nigeria will experience growth and development. Innoson did not kill anybody, he did not steal from the government purse, he was not caught with hard drugs or weapons of destruction, yet they have the guts to arrest him like a common criminal.

If he had boycotted paying his tax or owed his workers, it would have been a different case. Even if it were those, he deserves some respect while being arrested. Where were EFCC when politicians or leaders steal money and dump in foreign banks? They chose to develop other countries rather than their own. What crime could be greater than those? How many of those politicians have been arrested and prosecuted?

Recently, idealolive.blogspot.com gathered that Britain officials worked out an estimate of around £90 billion ($ 127 billion, 102 billion euros) of illegal funds that are smuggled into Britain every year which includes money stolen from the Nigerian treasury. They are set to use the Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) initiative to allow the British authorities to freeze and recover the property of any individual who failed to explain how he or she acquired assets to the tune of £50,000 or more.

This is the much most of leaders can do for those who elected them; to throw away the fund meant to use to better the lives of Nigerians. If they cannot explain the source of their income, the British authorities will convert them to better their own country while Nigerians will continue to suffer.

Yet, nobody chases these criminals around; nobody monitors their accounts and records, their moves and their spending habits. Rather, EFCC and their cohorts channel all their energy to monitoring, investigating, harassing and probing the hardworking and innovative investors that are even few, who are contributing their quota to the growth and development of the country. EFCC and their sponsors really have no work to do.

Written by Olive Chinyere Amajuoyi

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