The Centre for Anti-Corruption
and Open Leadership, CACOL, has backed the re-arraignment of a former governor
of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC.
Lamido, one of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, candidates to the elective national convention in Port
Harcourt, was re-arraigned on a 43-count amended charge bordering on abuse of
office and money laundering before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High
Court, Maitama, Abuja.
CACOL is calling for a speedy
trial of the former governor and his two children, adding that the case must
not be dragged beyond this administration.
In a statement issued by CACOL’s Coordinator of Media and Publications, Adegboyega Otunuga, the
group said EFCC must ensure that the people of Jigawa State get justice.
CACOL’s statement said, “Mr. Sule
Lamido was the governor of Jigawa state between 2007 and 2015. However, due to
certain discrepancies and inconsistencies that were noticed after he vacated
office, the EFCC had to investigate his stewardship while in the saddle and
later invited him for questioning and other moral examinations, and
subsequently charged him to court for unlawful enrichment and diversion of
funds. According to the charge sheets even before this current amendment, he
was alleged to have knowingly awarded state contracts to his companies, using
his two sons (Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido, as decoys and successfully
defrauded the state to the tune of N1.35bn (One Billion, Three Hundred and
Fifty Million Naira). He was also accused of always asking for and collecting
kickbacks from contractors with such monies paid into accounts that were
vicariously managed by his sons.
“Now, as CACOL, our concern is
that this case of monumental diversion of public funds has dragged on for
almost the entire period of this administration, while the ordinary people of
Jigawa state are becoming weary of even the trial and possible recoup and
repatriation of the allegedly looted funds. As an anti-graft organization, we
have always emphasized on the fact that the effects of official heists by those
entrusted to position of power, cannot be adequately quantified, both on the
quality of life being sacrificed and erosion of basic amenities such pilfering
conveniently encourage.
“This is why we always enjoin the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other cognate
anti-corruption agency to always do a thorough investigation and diligent
prosecution to ensure that those publicly exposed people that have chosen to
betray the trust reposed in them for office do not successfully wriggle
themselves out of dragnets for justice. This is the minimum condition to
assuage the suffering of their victims and serve as a veritable deterrent. This
becomes even more so when we realize that many of them could be so unscrupulous
that they even insist to still lead us, even at higher levels while they have
this unresolved noose of immorality hanging on their neck.”
“Since the charges against Sule
Lamido and his two children have now been effectively amended and the case
successfully transferred, we urge the EFCC to leave no stone unturned in
ensuring that justice is not only done to all parties concerned, especially the
common and suffering people of Jigawa state, we want it manifestly so,
especially with the window provided by the elongated time of preparing
necessary evidence and issues for effective prosecution. This would go a long
way in discouraging a mentality of seeing the state coffers as an extension of
personal or family business by the office holders.”
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