APC legal adviser denies bribing judge, but admits offering ‘gift’

The National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, Muiz Banire, has denied media reports claiming he had been quizzed by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for transferring N500,000 into a judge’s bank account.


In a statement he issued on Sunday, Mr. Banire said he was neither arrested nor invited by the EFCC. He said he voluntarily visited the Commission to assist in their investigation of the matter.

“I did not give any bribe of the sum of N500,000 or any amount to any judge at any time whatsoever,” said Mr. Banire, a former commissioner in Lagos State.

“The person to whom I gave a gift of N500,000 in 2013 was a former colleague in the academia, a fellow lawyer whom I now understand to be a judge with whom I had lost physical contact for more than 17 years until probably three years ago when he solicited for my financial assistance towards his mother’s burial.”

Media reports over the past few days had placed Mr. Banire, a former lecturer at the University of Lagos, among those involved in bribing of judges.

Following the arrest of some judges last month by operatives of the State Security Service, the EFCC had launched a massive investigation into allegations of bribery of judges by some senior lawyers.

Mr. Banire, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, allegedly transferred N500, 000 into the bank account of James Agbadu-Fishim, a judge at the National Industrial Court.

Mr. Agbadu-Fishim was among the judges who reported to the Lagos office of the EFCC on October 19 to write statements on the findings.

The National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, Muiz Banire, has denied media reports claiming he had been quizzed by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for transferring N500,000 into a judge’s bank account.

In a statement he issued on Sunday, Mr. Banire said he was neither arrested nor invited by the EFCC. He said he voluntarily visited the Commission to assist in their investigation of the matter.

“I did not give any bribe of the sum of N500,000 or any amount to any judge at any time whatsoever,” said Mr. Banire, a former commissioner in Lagos State.

“The person to whom I gave a gift of N500,000 in 2013 was a former colleague in the academia, a fellow lawyer whom I now understand to be a judge with whom I had lost physical contact for more than 17 years until probably three years ago when he solicited for my financial assistance towards his mother’s burial.”

Media reports over the past few days had placed Mr. Banire, a former lecturer at the University of Lagos, among those involved in bribing of judges.

Following the arrest of some judges last month by operatives of the State Security Service, the EFCC had launched a massive investigation into allegations of bribery of judges by some senior lawyers.

Mr. Banire, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, allegedly transferred N500, 000 into the bank account of James Agbadu-Fishim, a judge at the National Industrial Court.

Mr. Agbadu-Fishim was among the judges who reported to the Lagos office of the EFCC on October 19 to write statements on the findings.