Tinubu Using EFCC to Silence Me, Says Ex-NHIS Boss Usman Yusuf

Professor Usman Yusuf, former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), has accused Bola Tinubu’s government of using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intimidate and silence dissenting voices.

Speaking on Arise Television on Sunday, Yusuf alleged he was deliberately denied bail and treated like a criminal for criticising the administration.

Yusuf, who was arraigned by the EFCC in February on a five-count charge of alleged fraud to which he pleaded not guilty recounted how EFCC operatives stormed his residence on January 29 without a warrant.

He described how they refused to let him change clothes and treated him “like a captured notorious criminal.”

The former NHIS boss said he spent six days in EFCC custody before being arraigned and later denied bail, leading to a 24-day stay at Kuje Prison.

He insisted that denying him bail was unconstitutional, noting that his charges did not involve capital offences or terrorism.

Yusuf, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari before being suspended and removed from office over corruption allegations, warned that Tinubu’s government is attempting to suppress democratic criticism and risks turning Nigeria into a “one-party dictatorial state.”