Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, has accused President Bola Tinubu of using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to silence him.
In an interview with Arise Television on Sunday, Yusuf alleged that his recent detention and arraignment were politically motivated.
Yusuf, who was arraigned by the EFCC in February on five counts of alleged fraud, which he denied, stated that his experience was a deliberate attempt to suppress his critical voice.
“This government deliberately denied me bail to shake me up… all to try and silence me. But I am not someone who can be silenced,” he asserted.
He described his arrest on January 29th, alleging that EFCC operatives entered his home without a warrant.
“They walked into the house and said they wanted to see me, claiming I was expecting them. They only later showed their badges,” he recounted.
Yusuf further claimed that he was prevented from changing clothes and his wife was blocked from providing him with alternative attire.
He also described his transportation by the EFCC as if he were a “notorious criminal like Kachalla Bello Turji,” a known bandit leader.
After six days in EFCC custody, Yusuf was arraigned and subsequently denied bail, which he argued was unconstitutional.
“Bail is a constitutionally guaranteed right for any accused person, except in cases of capital offences or terrorism, and my case was neither,” he stated.
This denial resulted in an additional 24 days of detention at Kuje Prison, which he characterized as a period of “retreat for rest, prayers, and reflection.”
“The whole purpose was for the government of President Bola Tinubu to try to silence any form of dissent,” Yusuf alleged.
“This is coming from a president who himself was once a NADECO activist — someone who fought against the military dictatorship.”
He warned that the current administration is attempting to stifle democratic criticism and establish a “one-party dictatorial state.”
The government has not reacted to the accusation.
THE WHISTLER reports that Yusuf, who was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 as NHIS Executive Secretary, was suspended in 2017 and again in 2018 over allegations of corruption, and was eventually removed from office in 2019.
The EFCC has also yet to officially respond to Yusuf’s allegations.