Attorney-General and Minister of
Justice, Abubaklar Malami, is set to report Acting Chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu and Chairman of the Independent
Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, Ekpo Nta, to the
Presidency.
Special Assistant to the
President on Prosecutions, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla who made the revelation in
Abuja, said this followed the refusal of heads of the agencies to release the
case files of over 35 ex-governors and senators from the AGF.
He warned that Magu and Nta could
be sanctioned for insubordination.
Obono-Obla revealed that the case
files requested by the AGF in separate letters to both agencies were for
ex-governors, including Bukola Saraki (Kwara, now Senate President ); Ali Modu
Sheriff (Borno); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia );
Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Saminu Turaki (Jigawa ); Sule Lamido (Jigawa);
Joshua Dariye (Plateau ); Ahmed Yerima (Zamfara ); Gabriel Suswam (Benue ).
Others were James Ibori (Delta);
Martin Elechi (Ebonyi); Danjuma Goje (Gombe); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Ikedi
Ohakim (Imo); Gbenga Daniel (Ogun); Achike Udenwa (Imo); Ubong Victor Attah
(Akwa Ibom); Jolly Nyame (Taraba); Rasheed Ladoja (Oyo); Adebayo Alao- Akala
(Oyo); Adamu Mu’azu (Bauchi ); Lucky Igbinedion (Edo) and Peter Odili (Rivers).
He explained that the two
anti-corruption agencies have withheld the files from the AGF since July 2016
when the request was made, adding that this had caused a setback to the
anti-graft campaign of the Federal Government.
Addressing newsmen on Saturday,
Obono-Obla said, “When this administration came on board, one of the reforms
that were initiated was the setting up of a National Prosecution Committee to
complement the efforts of the anti- corruption agencies and the Department of
Public Prosecution.
“A team of highly motivated lawyers,
investigators and policy makers were brought in. The committee was inaugurated
on May 27, 2016 by the then Vice President, now acting President.
“The essence of the committee was
for us to take on the looters of our treasury and we have to ask the heads of
the anti-corruption agencies to furnish us with case files starting from 2006.
“You remember that former EFCC
chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, had told the National Assembly at a time that 32 former
governors were being investigated by the commission.
“So, we demanded the reports so
that we could file criminal proceedings against those ex-governors indicted in
those reports. I also made a similar application to the ICPC, but they refused
to comply.
“Most important, we asked them to
give us the files of senators under investigation. We wanted to, after getting
those files, file an order of interim attachment of properties belonging to the
suspects under investigation.
“This is because under Section 28
.4 of the EFCC Act, when suspects are arrested, the commission attaches all the
properties acquired under that financial crime.
“We wanted to really wage a war,
get those files and carry out those attachments so that Nigerians will know we
are really serious about this war on corruption.
“And disappointedly, they refused
to hand over those files and have refused to work with the AGF, the chief
prosecutor of the country and I see no reason why agencies under his
supervision should not cooperate with him.
“The AGF is bothered and he may
likely take a definite position. What the bosses of the agencies have done
amounts to insubordination under the public service rule because the AGF is a
chief legal officer and the agencies under him are to respect him.
“The AGF’s position may be to
report the heads to the Presidency.”
APC again , this party of lies , any house build on lies will crash and the tenants will get injuries and if care is not taken some will be killed by the roof, mmm , law of karma is now bomaranging ,now who is the enemy of this country?
ReplyDeleteWhat actually does the AGF need this files for when some cases are still pending in Courts. Hope is not gonna be a disappearing act.
ReplyDelete