ABUJA – There appears to be health concerns over former presidential aide, Dr Waripamowei Dudafa, who is currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC).
In a statement made available to Sundiata Post on Sunday, his family raised the alarm that his health was failing. The family alleged that the anti-graft agency had denied Dudafa access to proper medical attention.
Speaking for the first since the arrest of the former presidential aide, who was ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s special assistant on domestic matters, spokesman for the family, Mr. Thomas Akpoebi, said that family members and the personal physician of the detained Bayelsa born politician had been denied access to him.
The statement said Dudafa ‘s health began to deteriorate about two weeks ago.
”We members of the Dudafa family are frightened at the level of deliberate neglect and abandonment Dr Waripamowei Dudafa has been subjected in the EFCC custody since his incarceration about 50 days ago.
”This is the first time we are constrained to say something to the world since the arrest and detention of our brother and this is deliberate in order for the law to take its full circle despite the media trial that has been orchestrated.
”In the last 12 days, Dudafa has suffered series of health issues that require medical attention. He has been managing a spinal cord challenge which has relapsed significantly in the last three days. He has had incessant cough and cold with visible signs of malaria and has lost appetite completely. This is worrisome and life threatening because no member of his family has since being allowed to bring in drugs let alone bring in his personal physician to carry out necessary checks on him.
”All the EFCC has done is too buy paracetamol and novalgin tablets for him. This is unacceptable and very despotic on the part of the anti-graft agency because no law prohibits medical care for suspects. His efforts to even reach family members to bring in his prescribed drugs have been frustrated by the EFCC as his mobile lines are all seized while other suspects are allowed access to communicate with their families. This is just unfortunate.
”We are using this medium to call on the international community to step in with regards to this ugly tendency that has lately characterised the partisan, selective operations of the EFCC. We say we are worried that our brother’s health is declining and in dire need for medicals. He must not be allowed to die in custody”, Akpoebi said in the statement.
